HMS ''Explorer'' was an experimental British submarine based on the captured German
high test peroxide (HTP) powered
U-boat ''U-1407''. ''U-1407'' had been
scuttled following the German collapse at the end of the
Second World War, was salvaged and eventually commissioned into the
Royal Navy as . Her recovery was the impetus for a British research programme which resulted in the construction of two experimental submarines, HMS ''Explorer'' and . Built for speed trials, they were unarmed. Their HTP engines were essentially steam turbines, with the steam being generated by the interaction of HTP with diesel oil and a catalyst.
''Explorer'' suffered from so many teething troubles that her first captain never took her to sea. When these initial problems were conquered, however, she turned out to be impressively fast, achieving submerged speeds of 25
knots (46.3 km/h), aided by her streamlined hull and retractable fittings.
Both ''Explorer'' and her sister ship were fitted with the latest underwater escape technology, including a one-man escape chamber, and equipped with up to date escape breathing apparatus.
''Explorer'' and ''Excalibur'' were popularly known as the 'blonde' submarines because of their
hydrogen peroxide oxidiser and they served a useful purpose as high-speed targets for the Royal Navy's
anti-submarine
An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapo ...
forces. Their main use, however, was to finally prove that HTP was impractical as an
air-independent propulsion
Air-independent propulsion (AIP), or air-independent power, is any marine propulsion technology that allows a non-nuclear submarine to operate without access to atmospheric oxygen (by surfacing or using a snorkel). AIP can augment or replace the ...
system for submarine use. The HTP was carried in special bags outside the inner
pressure hull, which were prone to exploding unexpectedly. Additionally, the engine room (which was not occupied while under way) would often be the scene of flames appearing on the top of the combustion chamber, and on at least one occasion the crew were forced to evacuate the pressure hull and stand on the upper casing to avoid fumes which had suddenly filled the boat. The HTP fuel proved to be so troublesome that the boats quickly became known as ''Exploder'' and ''Excruciator''.
Although part of the
3rd Submarine Squadron, the two submarines tended to operate independently, accompanied by their own
depot ship HMS ''Kingfisher'' and a fuel carrier, the converted water-carrier,
Royal Fleet Auxiliary RFA ''Spabeck''.
When the
US Navy succeeded in designing a
nuclear reactor suitable for submarine installation, the HTP project was abandoned, and ''Explorer'' and ''Excalibur'' were scrapped.
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Explorer
Explorer-class submarines
Ships built in Barrow-in-Furness
1954 ships
Cold War submarines of the United Kingdom