HMS Walrus (S08)

HMS Walrus (S08) was the last of the Porpoise class submarines of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 22 September 1959, and commissioned on 10 February 1961.[1]

HMS Walrus (S08) and other ships in Kiel harbour, Germany
History
United Kingdom
Name:	HMS Walrus
Builder:	Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Greenock
Laid down:	12 February 1958
Launched:	22 September 1959
Commissioned:	10 February 1961
Fate:	Sold in 1987 Broken up in 1991
General characteristics
Class and type:	Porpoise class submarine
Displacement:	2,080 tons surfaced 2,450 tons submerged
Length:	290 ft (88 m)
Beam:	26 ft 7 in (8.10 m)
Draught:	18 ft (5.5 m)
Propulsion:	2 × Admiralty Standard range diesel generators, 1,650 hp (1.230 MW) 2 × English Electric main motors, 12,000 hp (8.95 MW) 2 shafts
Speed:	12 kn (22 km/h) surfaced 17 kn (31 km/h)submerged
Range:	9,000 nmi (17,000 km) at 12 kn (22 km/h)
Complement:	71
Armament:	8 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes, 6 bow, 2 stern 30 × Mk8 or Mk23 torpedoes, later the Mark 24 Tigerfish

Royal Navy Service

On one occasion during exercises with HMS Ark Royal (R09) an error resulted in a practice torpedo becoming embedded in the submarine's casing.[2]

Following an 18-month refit at Devonport Dockyard she commissioned for the third time on 3 December 1969. In 1970 she was present at Portsmouth Navy Days[3] Walrus also attended the 1977 Silver Jubilee Fleet Review off Spithead when she was part of the Submarine Flotilla.[4]

She was sold in 1987 to the Seaforth Group to be refitted for resale to Egypt, but was broken up at Grimsby in 1991.

Commanding officers

From	To	Captain
1961	1962	Lieutenant Commander John Fieldhouse RN
1965	1966	Lieutenant Commander M C Bourdillon RN
1970	1970	Lieutenant Commander H K P Michell RN
1971	1972	Lieutenant Commander A W M Stephens RN
1972	1973	Lieutenant Commander J S Lang RN
1974	1976	Lieutenant Commander Roger Lane-Nott RN
1977	1977	Lieutenant Commander M G Jones RN
1977	1978	Lieutenant Commander H Keay RN
1978	1979	Lieutenant Commander P P Jeanneret RN

References

1. Submarines of The Royal Navy. Maritime Books. ISBN 0-907771-00-9.
2. Tall, J.J; Paul Kemp (1996). HM Submarines in Camera An Illustrated History of British Submarines. Sutton Publishing. p. 165. ISBN 0-7509-0875-0.
3. Programme, Navy Days Portsmouth, 29th-31st August 1970, p19.
4. Official Souvenir Programme, 1977. Silver Jubilee Fleet Review, HMSO

Publications

• 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.