The ''Porpoise'' class was an eight-boat

class Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...

of diesel-electric

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

s operated by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. This class was originally designated patrol submarines, then attack. They were the first conventional British submarines to be built after the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Their design was, in many ways, influenced by the German World War II-era

Type XXI U-boat Type XXI submarines were a class of German diesel–electric '' Elektroboot'' (German: "electric boat") submarines designed during the Second World War. One hundred eighteen were completed, with four being combat-ready. During the war only two w ...

Design

The ''Porpoise''-class submarines were larger but shorter than their T-class predecessors and used a much improved steel known as UXW.''Rebuilding the Royal Navy : Warship Design Since 1945'', D. K. Brown and George Moore, Chatham Publishing, 2003, pp.114–115 This, and improved design and construction techniques allowed much deeper diving. It was found in tests that the unusually long engine room was liable to collapse, so there were extra large frames in this section, which proved to be something of an operational inconvenience. Designed with a top speed of , the boats were capable of , or once fitted with silenced propellers. However, quieter running was felt to be a positive trade-off for the reduced speed. The ''Porpoise'' class were exceptionally quiet underwater, more so than their

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

counterparts and far more so than the Soviet s. This was in part due to careful attention to detail in the mounting of machinery, and advances made in propeller design to prevent

cavitation Cavitation in fluid mechanics and engineering normally is the phenomenon in which the static pressure of a liquid reduces to below the liquid's vapor pressure, leading to the formation of small vapor-filled cavities in the liquid. When sub ...

. Initially, the silenced propellers actually set up a distinctive resonant "singing". However, grooves were cut into the propellers and injected with a damping filler which cured the problem; ''Rorqual'' was later able to surface undetected off the

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...

. The

silent running ''Silent Running'' is a 1972 American ecological-themed science fiction film. It is the directorial debut of Douglas Trumbull, and stars Bruce Dern, Cliff Potts, Ron Rifkin, and Jesse Vint. Plot In the future, all forests on Earth have b ...

abilities made their sonar equipment particularly effective. Each submarine's armament consisted of eight 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes; six in the bow, and two in the stern. Initially, up to 30 Mark 8 or Mark 23 torpedoes were carried, although these were replaced in the 1970s by the

Mark 24 Tigerfish The Mark 24 Tigerfish was a heavyweight acoustic homing torpedo used by the Royal Navy (RN) during the 1980s and 90s. Conceptual development dates to the mid-1950s, and formally started in 1959 with a target introduction date in 1969. A lengthy ...

torpedo. The class were also the first since the World War I-era

R class R class or Class R may refer to: Rail transport *LCDR R class, a British steam locomotive class *NER Class R, a British steam locomotive class *NZR R class, a type of New Zealand steam locomotive *Rhymney Railway R class, class of tank locomotive * ...

to not carry a deck gun. The ''Porpoise''s were far more capable than previous submarine classes in operating for prolonged periods, thanks to much improved air recirculation and cleaning systems. The class also performed excellently in clandestine operations, such as surveillance and inserting special forces. The first ''Porpoise''-class boats were launched in 1958 during the ever-increasing threat of the Soviet Union's submarine fleet. The ''Porpoise''-class boats were all decommissioned by the 1980s. The submarines, which were almost identical to the ''Porpoise''s, and the first of which was commissioned in 1961, survived their predecessor only a little longer, all being decommissioned in the early 1990s.

Boats in the class

References

External links

Battleships-Cruisers.co.uk's page of photographs of ''Porpoise'' Class submarinesSubmariners Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:British Porpoise-Class Submarine Porpoise class

Design

Boats in the class

See also

References

External links