A depot ship is an

auxiliary ship An auxiliary ship is a naval ship designed to support combatant ships and other naval operations. Auxiliary ships are not primary combatant vessels, though they may have some limited combat capacity, usually for purposes of self-defense. Auxili ...

used as a mobile or fixed base for

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 ...

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

s, fast attack craft,

landing craft Landing craft are small and medium seagoing watercraft, such as boats and barges, used to convey a landing force (infantry and vehicles) from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. The term excludes landing ships, which are larger. ...

, or other small ships with similarly limited space for maintenance equipment and crew dining, berthing and relaxation. Depot ships may be identified as tenders in

American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the United States, most widely spoken lang ...

. Depot ships may be specifically designed for their purpose or be converted from another purpose.

Function

Depot ships provide services unavailable from local

naval base A naval base, navy base, or military port is a military base, where warships and naval ships are docked when they have no mission at sea or need to restock. Ships may also undergo repairs. Some naval bases are temporary homes to aircraft that usu ...

shore facilities. Industrialized countries may build naval bases with extensive workshops, warehouses, barracks, and medical and recreation facilities. Depot ships operating within such bases may provide little more than command staff offices,Lenton (1975) pp.391-394 while depot ships operating at remote bases may perform unusually diverse support functions. Some

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

submarine depot ships operating in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

during

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 ...

included sailors with Construction Battalion ratings to clear recreational sites and assemble buildings ashore, while 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 ...

mobile naval bases included specialized amenities ships to meet recreational needs of

British Pacific Fleet The British Pacific Fleet (BPF) was a Royal Navy formation that saw action against Japan during the Second World War. It was formed from aircraft carriers, other surface warships, submarines and supply vessels of the RN and British Commonwealth ...

personnel. Services provided by a depot ship depend upon whether typical client warship missions are measured in hours, or days, or weeks. A warship crew may be expected to remain at their stations for missions measured in hours, but longer missions may require provisions for dining, sleeping, and personal hygiene. The crew of small warships may carry individual combat rations and urinate or defecate from the weather deck. Longer missions typically require storage provisions for drinking water and preserved food, and some resting area for the crew, although rest may be limited to a sheltered spot to sit or recline. Cooking may be limited to warming food on an exhaust vent, and buckets may be used for bathing, laundry, and sanitary waste. Habitability standards vary among navies, but client warships large enough to include a

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...

, bunks, a shower, a kitchen stove, refrigerated food storage, a drinking water distillation unit, and a laundry require little more than medical and repair service from a depot ship. Depot ships are similar to repair ships, but provide a wider range of services to a smaller portion of the fleet. Depot ships undertake repair work for a flotilla of small warships, while repair ships offer more comprehensive repair capability for a larger variety of fleet warships. Depot ships also provide personnel and resupply services for their flotilla. Some depot ships may transport their short-range landing or attack craft from home ports to launch near the scene of battle. The following summary of World War II depot ships indicates the range of locations and warships served:

Boom defence depot ships

HMS ''St. Columba'' was the depot ship for the boom defence vessels at

Greenock Greenock (; ; , ) is a town in Inverclyde, Scotland, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The town is the administrative centre of Inverclyde Council. It is a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, and forms ...

. The

survey ship A survey vessel is any type of ship or boat that is used for underwater surveys, usually to collect data for mapping or planning underwater construction or mineral extraction. It is a type of research vessel, and may be designed for the pu ...

HMS ''Endeavour'' (J61) was a depot ship for boom defence in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

and the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

.Lenton & Colledge, pp.341-348

Coastal forces depot ships

Requisitioned merchant ships HMS ''Aberdonian'' (F74) and ''Vienna'' (F138) and the French ''Belfort'' (U63) were used as depot ships for Coastal Forces of the Royal Navy. ''Aberdonian'' started at

Fort William, Scotland Fort William is a town in the Lochaber region of the Scottish Highlands, located on the eastern shore of Loch Linnhe in the Highland (council area), Highland Council of Scotland. At the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census, Fort William had ...

, but spent most of the war at

Dartmouth, Devon Dartmouth () is a town and civil parish in the England, English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the western bank of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes. It lies w ...

, while ''Vienna'' was in the Mediterranean. The Loch-class frigates ''Loch Assynt'' (K438) and ''Loch Torridon'' (K654) became coastal forces depot ships HMS ''Derby Haven'' and ''Woodbridge Haven'', respectively.

Destroyer depot ships

* served in the

after conversion from a repair ship in 1944.Silverstone, p.285 * served in the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

.Silverstone, p.283 * was with the

Asiatic Fleet The United States Asiatic Fleet was a fleet of the United States Navy during much of the first half of the 20th century. Before World War II, the fleet patrolled the Philippine Islands. Much of the fleet was destroyed by the Japanese by Februar ...

in 1941 and transferred to

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

for the remainder of the war. * HMS ''Blenheim'' served with the

Home Fleet The Home Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy that operated from the United Kingdom's territorial waters from 1902 with intervals until 1967. In 1967, it was merged with the Mediterranean Fleet creating the new Western Fleet. Before the First ...

, at

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

, and in the Mediterranean. * * served in the Atlantic. * served in the

. * served in the Pacific. * HMS ''Greenwich'' (F10) served in

Scapa Flow Scapa Flow (; ) is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray,S. C. George, ''Jutland to Junkyard'', 1973. South Ronaldsay and Hoy. Its sheltered waters have played an impor ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, Iceland, and with the Home Fleet.Lenton & Colledge, p.336 * * HMS ''Hecla'' (F20) was based at Greenock and Iceland before being sunk in the Mediterranean during

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8–16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa whil ...

.Lenton & Colledge, p.338 * * served in the Atlantic. * HMS ''Philoctetes'' (F134) was stationed at

Freetown Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...

. * served in the Pacific. * served in the Pacific. * served in the Pacific. * * HMS ''Tyne'' (F24) served with the Home Fleet and

. * was a repair ship before being converted to a Home Fleet destroyer depot ship in 1945. * served in the Pacific. * served in home waters, the Mediterranean, and the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies) is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The ''Indies'' broadly referred to various lands in Eastern world, the East or the Eastern Hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainl ...

. * served in the Pacific.

Escort vessel depot ship

HMS ''Sandhurst'' (F92) was a converted merchant ship used as a depot ship for coastal convoy escorts at

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...

and Greenock.

Landing craft depot ships

The first

landing craft carrier Landing craft carriers or landing craft depot ships were an innovative type of amphibious warfare ship developed by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. The prototype was developed in secrecy under the pseudonyms ''Ryujo Maru'' and ''Fu ...

was completed by

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

in 1935. The

began launching dock landing ships in 1943. The 8,580-ton ''Beachy Head''-class ships HMS ''Buchan Ness'', ''Dodman Point'', ''Dungeness'', ''Fife Ness'', ''Girdle Ness'' and ''Spurn Point'' were used as depot ships for Ramped Cargo Lighters during the last year of World War II.

Minesweeper depot ships

''Nettlebeck'', ''Brommy'' and ''Van der Groeben'' were depot ships for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd

R boat The R boats (''Räumboote'' in German, literally "clearing boats", meaning minesweepers) were a group of small naval vessels built as minesweepers for the ''Kriegsmarine'' (German navy) before and during the Second World War. They were used for ...

flotillas, respectively. The 1st and 3rd flotillas were at

Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...

, and the 2nd was at

Cuxhaven Cuxhaven (; ) is a town and seat of the Cuxhaven district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town includes the northernmost point of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the shore of the North Sea at the mouth of the Elbe River. Cuxhaven has a footprint o ...

. HMS ''Ambitious'' (F169), ''Celebrity'' and ''St. Tudno'' were depot ships for minesweepers. ''Ambitious'' was stationed at Scapa Flow, and ''St. Tudno'' was at the Nore. Japan requisitioned ''Chohei Maru'', ''Rokusan Maru'' and ''Teishu Maru'' from civilian service as depot ships for minesweepers.Watts, p.322

Motor torpedo boat depot ships

''Tsingtau'' and ''Tanga'' were depot ships for the 1st and 2nd

E-boat E-boat was the Western Allies' designation for the fast attack craft (German: ''Schnellboot'', or ''S-Boot'', meaning "fast boat"; plural ''Schnellboote'') of the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany during World War II; ''E-boat'' could refer to a pat ...

flotillas at Kiel and

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

, respectively. ''Kamikaze Maru'', ''Nihonkai Maru'', ''Shinsho Maru'' and ''Shuri Maru'' were requisitioned from civilian service as depot ships for Japanese Motor Torpedo Boats.

Patrol vessel depot ships

and the French ships , , ''Coucy'' and ''Diligente'' were used as depot ships for vessels patrolling the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

after the

Second Armistice at Compiègne The Armistice of 22 June 1940, sometimes referred to as the Second Armistice at Compiègne, was an agreement signed at 18:36 on 22 June 1940 near Compiègne, France by officials of Nazi Germany and the French Third Republic. It became effective a ...

. was based at Lerwick, Shetland Islands, in July 1917 as a depot ship for trawlers and patrol boats. HMS ''Ambitious'' was a depot ship at Scapa Flow, Orkney Islands during the First World War.

Seaplane depot ship

Includes both seaplane carriers and ships intended to support the operation of large

flying boat A flying boat is a type of seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in having a fuselage that is purpose-designed for flotation, while floatplanes rely on fuselage-mounted floats for buoyancy. Though ...

s, known as seaplane tenders in United States usage.

Submarine depot ships

* served in the Pacific.Silverstone, p.288 * served with the Eastern Fleet and British Pacific Fleet. * HMS ''Alecto'' (J10) served at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

and became the boom defense depot ship.Lenton & Colledge, p.334 * was depot ship for the Fourth Flotilla, 1919 to 1928. * was converted to a

troopship A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable to land troops directly on shore, typic ...

. * was stationed at

Subic Bay Subic Bay is a bay on the west coast of the island of Luzon in the Philippines, about northwest of Manila Bay. An extension of the South China Sea, its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility, U.S. Naval Base Subi ...

in 1945.Blair, p.821 * served in the Pacific. * ''Wilhelm Bauer'' provided command facilities and submarine crew accommodations for the 7th U-boat Flotilla. * was depot ship for Squadron 50 at

Rosneath Rosneath () is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It sits on the western shore of the Gare Loch, northwest of the tip of the Rosneath Peninsula. It is about by road from the village of Kilcreggan, which is sited on the southern shore ...

before transfer to Alaska.Silverstone, p.287 * ''Bogata Maru'' was requisitioned from civilian service as depot ship for the

Monsun Gruppe ''Gruppe Monsun'' or Monsoon Group was a force of German U-boats (submarines) that operated in the Pacific and Indian Oceans during World War II. Although similar naming conventions were used for temporary groupings of submarines in the Atlanti ...

. * was the depot ship for X craft. * was depot ship for Squadron 12 at

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...

and

Majuro Majuro (; Marshallese language, Marshallese: ' ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Marshall Islands. It is also a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean. It forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain, Ratak ( ...

. * was lost serving as the Asiatic Fleet depot ship. * ''Chōgei'' was depot ship for Subron 6. * served in the Pacific. * * HMS ''Cyclops'' (F31) served first in the Mediterranean, and then with the

. * provided command facilities and submarine crew accommodations for the

1st U-boat Flotilla The 1st U-boat flotilla (German ''1. Unterseebootsflottille'') also known as the Weddigen flotilla, was the first operational U-boat unit in Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy). Founded on 27 September 1935 under the command of ''Fregattenka ...

. * was stationed in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

and the

Admiralty Islands The Admiralty Islands are an archipelago group of 40 islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-cov ...

. * was depot ship for the 2nd and 3rd submarine flotillas. * was depot ship for Squadron 8 in

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

Midway Atoll Midway Atoll (colloquialism, colloquial: Midway Islands; ; ) is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. Midway Atoll is an insular area of the United States and is an Insular area#Unorganized unincorporated territories, unorganized and unincorpo ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

, New Guinea,

Saipan Saipan () is the largest island and capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated Territories of the United States, territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 estimates by the United States Cens ...

and Subic Bay. * was stationed at Subic Bay in 1945. * was stationed in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

in late 1941 before serving in Brisbane and then in Pearl Harbor and Fremantle as depot ship for Squadron 12. * ''Heian Maru'' was requisitioned from civilian service as depot ship for Subron 1. * ''Hie Maru'' was requisitioned from civilian service as depot ship for Subron 8. * was depot ship for Squadron 2 with the Asiatic Fleet before moving to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, Saipan and

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

. * ''Isar'' provided command facilities and submarine crew accommodations for the 6th U-boat flotilla. * ''Jingei'' was depot ship for Subron7. * The 5,747-ton French ''Jules Verne'' was initially stationed at

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

and later at

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

. * ''Waldemar Kophamel'' provided command facilities and submarine crew accommodations for U-boat flotillas. * ''Lech'' provided command facilities and submarine crew accommodations for the 5th U-boat Flotilla. * HMS ''Lucia'' (F27) served in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

and was the

Red Sea The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...

force base ship in 1940. * served at

Rosyth Rosyth () is a town and Garden City in Fife, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth. Scotland's first Garden city movement, Garden City, Rosyth is part of the Greater Dunfermline Area and is located 3 miles south of Dunfermline city cen ...

and in the South Atlantic, Mediterranean, Indian Ocean and Pacific. * served in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and the Mediterranean. * served with the British Pacific Fleet. * '' Nagoya Maru'' was requisitioned from civilian service as depot ship for Subron 4. * was stationed at

and New Guinea. * was under conversion from civilian service at

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

when

attacked and became a landing craft depot ship at Fremantle. * ''Antonio Pacinotti'' was a ''

Regia Marina The , ) (RM) or Royal Italian Navy was the navy of the Kingdom of Italy () from 1861 to 1946. In 1946, with the birth of the Italian Republic (''Repubblica Italiana''), the changed its name to '' Marina Militare'' ("Military Navy"). Origin ...

'' submarine depot ship.Kafka & Pepperburg, p.806 * was depot ship for Squadron 6 at the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...

and in Fremantle. * HNLMS ''Pelikaan'' was stationed in the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

. * was depot ship for Squadron 20 in

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan spanning the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture, on the southern coast of the island of Honshu. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. Th ...

for the

Surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was Hirohito surrender broadcast, announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally Japanese Instrument of Surrender, signed on 2 September 1945, End of World War II in Asia, ending ...

. * ''Rio de Janeiro Maru'' was requisitioned from civilian service as depot ship for Subron 5. * ''Saar'' provided command facilities and submarine crew accommodations for the 2nd U-boat Flotilla. * ''Santos Maru'' was requisitioned from civilian service as depot ship for Subron 2. * HMS ''Talbot'' was the

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

submarine depot ship. * was depot ship for Squadron 10 at Brisbane, Pearl Harbor, Majuro and Guam.Blair, pp.225,344,346,533&766 * was the depot ship for

Welman submarine The Welman submarine was a Second World War one-man British midget submarine developed by the Special Operations Executive. It only saw action once and was not particularly successful. Design Designed by the Commanding Officer of SOE's Inter S ...

s. * ''Tsukushi Maru'' was requisitioned from civilian service as depot ship for Subron 11. * ''Alessandro Volta'' was a ''Regia Marina'' submarine depot ship. * ''Erwin Wassner'' provided command facilities and submarine crew accommodations for U-boat flotillas. * ''Weichsel'' provided command facilities and submarine crew accommodations for the 3rd U-boat Flotilla. * was the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...

submarine depot ship. * HMS ''Wolfe'' (F37) was depot ship for the 3rd submarine flotilla until transferred to the Eastern Fleet in 1944. * HMS ''Wuchang'' (F30) served with the Eastern Fleet. * ''Otto Wunsche'' provided command facilities and submarine crew accommodations for U-boat flotillas. * ''Yasukuni Maru'' was requisitioned from civilian service as depot ship for Subron 3.

Regulations

Some depot ships support a naval base. was the base ship at Darwin,

during

. In the

, under section 87 of the Naval Discipline Act 1866 ( 29 & 30 Vict. c. 109), the provisions of the act only applied to officers and men of the Royal Navy borne on the books of a warship. When shore establishments began to become more common it was necessary to allocate the title of the establishment to an actual vessel which became the ''nominal depot ship'' for the men allocated to the establishment and thus ensured they were subject to the provisions of the Act.

Citations

Sources

* * * * * * * * {{Warship types of the 19th & 20th centuries Ship types Naval installations

Function

Boom defence depot ships

Coastal forces depot ships

Destroyer depot ships

Escort vessel depot ship

Landing craft depot ships

Minesweeper depot ships

Motor torpedo boat depot ships

Patrol vessel depot ships

Seaplane depot ship

Submarine depot ships

Regulations

See also

Citations

Sources