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HMS Excalibur was an Explorer-class submarine, the sister ship of HMS Explorer, the two submarines being the only high-test peroxide (HTP) powered submarines to be constructed for the Royal Navy. She is the only ship to be named as such, in honour of the sword of Arthurian legend.
 HMS Excalibur (S40)
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Excalibur |
| Ordered | 26 August 1947 |
| Builder | Vickers Armstrong[1] |
| Launched | 25 February 1955 |
| Completed | 22 February 1958 |
| Identification | Pennant number: S40 |
| Nickname(s) | The Excruciator[2] |
| Fate | Scrapped, 1968 |
| Notes | Built at a cost of £1,142,000 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Explorer-class submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 178 ft (54 m) |
| Beam | 15 ft 8 in (4.78 m) |
| Draught | 11 ft (3.4 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph) (submerged) |
| Complement | 41 |
| Armament | None |
Operation
editBoth Excalibur and Explorer were assigned to the 3rd Submarine Squadron although due to their experimental nature, they tended to operate independently, accompanied by their depot ship HMS Kingfisher and a fuel carrier, RFA Spabeck. They later acted as high-speed underwater targets for the Royal Navy's prototype nuclear-powered submarine HMS Dreadnought.
Periscope
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The submarine's periscope survives. It was installed in the starter's hut at the Golf House Club, the golf club at Elie and Earlsferry, Scotland; players and visitors may use it to view the golf course.[3]
References
edit- ^ Oldships.org.uk HMS Excalibur
- ^ Submarine Heritage Centre
- ^ Ronnie Leask (12 October 2008). "NO4800 : Periscope in starters hut Elie Golf Course". www.geograph.org. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
Bibliography
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- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
- Preston, Antony (1995). "United Kingdom". In Chumbley, Stephen (ed.). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. pp. 95–131. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
- Thomas, Steve (November 2022). "Fire and Water: Britain's Fast Submarine Program". Marine News Supplement: Warships. 76 (11): S599–S613. ISSN 0966-6958.