| Built By: | Vickers (Barrow) |
| Build Group: | S3 |
| Fate: | Sold and scrapped, Briton Ferry, 20th December 1965. |
| 1942: | Lieutenant | Norman Limbury Auchinleck Jewell | MID |
| 1944: | Lieutenant | Trevor Russell-Walling | |
| 1944: | Lieutenant | Trevor Russell-Walling | |
| 1945: | Lieutenant | Robin William Garson |
Ex P69
Seraph was invoved in numerous special operations,most notably the operation that involved the "Man who never was". She was briefly commanded by a USN officer, though only nominally on another special operation. She was streamlined in late 1944 for ASW testing. Numerous parts of her are in the United States.
HMS Seraph: Star of film and books
It cannot be said of many ships of any nationality that they have had two books and a film produced as a result of their efforts. Only one submarine could ever have a signal sent to her reading Hymn No. 30: Verse Five. If you bother to read Hymn 30 in the English Hymnal you will find that verse five reads,
Trials with HM Submarine Seraph
In 1944 the Royal Navy succeeded in modifying one of its conventional submarines, Seraph, to match the performance of the radically new Type XXI fast boats that intelligence showed Germany was developing.1 If the enemy had succeeded in getting the Typ XXI to sea in large numbers, they would have revolutionised submarine warfare, and severely tested Allied anti-submarine defences.
I learnt much later, in fact, after the war, what the secret mission involving a high-ranking general of the American army was all about. Major military events records now reveal that the clandestine events that took place based on Gibraltar as described on 22 and 23 October 1942 involving HMS Seraph (and my minute involvement) were the forerunners to 'Operation Torch'.
| 16-08-1940 | Laid Down |
| 25-10-1941 | Launched |
| 10-06-1942 | Completed |
| 29-11-1942 | HMS Seraph fires 4 torpedoes against a convoy about 30 nautical miles west of Marettimo Island, Italy missing the Italian passenger/cargo ship Citta di Tunisi. |
| 04-12-1942 | HMS Seraph fires 4 torpedoes against a convoy about 20 nautical miles west of Marettimo Island, Italy, missing the German transport ship Ankara. |
| 23-12-1942 | HMS Seraph tries to ram the Italian submarine Alagi about 40 nautical miles north-east of Bone, Algeria. |
| 19-04-1943 | HMS Seraph sailed at 6 pm on 19th April. 1943 - with 'Major William Martin' safely stored in a six-foot metal canister packed with dry ice. For ten days Seraph surfaced only at night On the morning of 30th April, 1600 yards off Huelva. Spain, Seraph surfaced and 'Major Martin' was slid out of his canister into the sea. He was sighted by a Spanish fisherman later that morning and recovered by the authorities. A post-mortem revealed that death was caused by 'asphyxiation through immersion in the sea'. The German agent in Huelva 'played his part' and his superiors were alerted to the existence of the documents. To complete the plot, 'Pam' sent a wreath to the 'Major's' funeral in Spain, and his name was inserted in the casualty list, which appeared in 'The Times' of 4th June 1943 The success of 'Major Martin's' mission can be measured from remarks in Field-Marshal Rommel's personal papers, which reveal that when the Allies invaded Sicily the German defence was led astray - 'as a result of a diplomatic courier's body being washed up off Spain' These missions were vital to the Supreme Allied Commander, General Dwight Eisenhower, and Seraph's exploits saved thousands of Allied lives. General Patton himself praised the Seraph's conduct during the invasion of Sicily, and Lieutenant Jewell subsequently received the Legion of Merit - the highest American honour that can be bestowed on a foreigner When she was scrapped in 1963, a Seraph Memorial was erected in Citadel campus at the Military College of South Carolina, and includes Seraph's periscope, fore hatch, plane wheels and other items from the Barrow-built submarine. |
| 10-09-1943 | HMS Seraph claims the sinking of four small craft with gunfire east of Corsica. |
| 03-11-1943 | HMS Seraph sinks the Greek sailing vessel Aghios Militiades with gunfire off the Kaso Strait east of Crete, Greece. |
| 06-11-1943 | HMS Seraph sinks the Greek sailing vessel Narkyssos with gunfire off Karpathos, Greece. |
| Length overall | 217 ft |
| Beam | 23 ft 6 inch |
| Depth | 11 ft |
| Diving Depth | 350 ft |
| Speed | Surface 15 knots (design) |
| Surface 14.75 knots (service) | |
| Submerged 10 knots (design) | |
| Submerged 9 knots (service) | |
| No. of shafts | 2 |
| Endurance | Surface: 6000 miles at 10 knots (design) |
| Armament (i) | 6 x 21 inch bow tubes |
| 1 21 inch stern tube | |
| (13 torpedoes carried) | |
| 1 x 3 inch gun | |
| 3 x 0.303 inch machine-guns | |
| 1 x 20mm Oerlikon cannon | |
| Complement | 5 Officers and 43 Ratings |
| Note | The armament of submarines of this class varied considerably. For example: 23 boats were fitted with the six bow tubes only; 18 vessels, intended to operate in the Far East, had their 3 inch guns replaced by 4 inch guns; whilst, in some boats, the Oerlikon cannon replaced, rather than supplemented, the three machine-guns. |
Further Reading |
|
| The Ship With Two Captains |
Terence Robertson Between 1942 and 1944 HMS Seraph was engaged in unusual but vital wartime assignments, including carrying Eisenhower's deputy, General Mark Clark, through the Mediterranean to a hazardous rendezvous with the Free French as a prelude to the North African invasion, as well as the dramatic rescue of General Giraud from Vichy France in rough sea right under the nose of the enemy. Her most famous mission however was Operation Mincemeat where she aided the allies in deceiving their enemy about the invasion of Sicily. |
| Class: | 1935 - 1970: T Class |
| Built By: | Vickers (Barrow) |
| Build Group: | T 3 |
| Fate: | |
| Scrapped in November 1950 at Milford Haven. | |
Part of the military documentary series examining each aspect of the armed forces.
This volume looks at the history and role of the submarine in the modern navy. Starting out as experimental oddities in the American Civil War, the most advanced submarines in the present day hold a crew of several hundred, can remain at sea for a year at a time, and are capable of launching dozens of thermonuclear missles at any spot in the world.
17 pages added or updated in the last Array month
Please help to maintain this site by reporting any Errors, Broken Links, Information or Site Issues on this page using this button
If you find this site useful, please consider supporting my work with a small Donation.
Please Note: Donations made using this option go directly to the site owner and not to the Submariners Association.
Thankyou for your support.
| Length overall | 217 ft |
| Beam | 23 ft 6 inch |
| Depth | 11 ft |
| Diving Depth | 350 ft |
| Speed | Surface 15 knots (design) |
| Surface 14.75 knots (service) | |
| Submerged 10 knots (design) | |
| Submerged 9 knots (service) | |
| No. of shafts | 2 |
| Endurance | Surface: 6000 miles at 10 knots (design) |
| Armament (i) | 6 x 21 inch bow tubes |
| 1 21 inch stern tube | |
| (13 torpedoes carried) | |
| 1 x 3 inch gun | |
| 3 x 0.303 inch machine-guns | |
| 1 x 20mm Oerlikon cannon | |
| Complement | 5 Officers and 43 Ratings |
| Note | The armament of submarines of this class varied considerably. For example: 23 boats were fitted with the six bow tubes only; 18 vessels, intended to operate in the Far East, had their 3 inch guns replaced by 4 inch guns; whilst, in some boats, the Oerlikon cannon replaced, rather than supplemented, the three machine-guns. |
Further Reading |
|
| The Ship With Two Captains |
|
Terence Robertson Between 1942 and 1944 HMS Seraph was engaged in unusual but vital wartime assignments, including carrying Eisenhower's deputy, General Mark Clark, through the Mediterranean to a hazardous rendezvous with the Free French as a prelude to the North African invasion, as well as the dramatic rescue of General Giraud from Vichy France in rough sea right under the nose of the enemy. Her most famous mission however was Operation Mincemeat where she aided the allies in deceiving their enemy about the invasion of Sicily. |
| Class: | 1935 - 1970: T Class |
| Built By: | Vickers (Barrow) |
| Build Group: | T 3 |
| Fate: | |
| Scrapped in November 1950 at Milford Haven. | |
Part of the military documentary series examining each aspect of the armed forces.
This volume looks at the history and role of the submarine in the modern navy. Starting out as experimental oddities in the American Civil War, the most advanced submarines in the present day hold a crew of several hundred, can remain at sea for a year at a time, and are capable of launching dozens of thermonuclear missles at any spot in the world.
17 pages added or updated in the last Array month
Please help to maintain this site by reporting any Errors, Broken Links, Information or Site Issues on this page using this button
If you find this site useful, please consider supporting my work with a small Donation.
Please Note: Donations made using this option go directly to the site owner and not to the Submariners Association.
Thankyou for your support.
Comments
Comment by: Duncan on July 8th, 2019
My Uncle William (Bill) Garland had medals with HMS Seraph engraved around the edge, I saw a picture once of the ships crew assebled around the conning tower and looked right into his eyes..does anyone know anything about him please as he never spoke about his service..he was unusally tall for a submariner and wen't through life with a stoop and shot lungs.
Thank you.
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