HMS Sportsman (P229)
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HMS ''Sportsman'' was a third-batch S-class submarine built for 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 ...
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 ...
. Completed in 1942, she spent most of the war serving in 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 ...
. After an initial patrol off Norway, she sank the heavy transport in the Mediterranean in 1943 and missed a French
oil tanker An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk cargo, bulk transport of petroleum, oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quant ...
. She was heavily damaged after a mistaken attack by an Allied bomber, and was sent east after repairs to participate in operations in the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
. After the operation was cancelled, ''Sportsman'' patrolled the
Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...
, sending several Greek and German ships to the bottom. She sank the German transport SS ''Petrella'' in early 1944 despite it being clearly marked as a
prisoner-of-war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
ship, killing 2,670 out of 3,173 Italians aboard. ''Sportsman'' sank several more ships, and suffered minor damage when she was detected and sighted while attempting to attack a convoy. After a refit in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, she returned to the United Kingdom where she participated in additional training for operations in the Far East. The deployment was cancelled when the war in the Pacific ended in 1945, and ''Sportsman'' was placed in reserve at
Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-o ...
. She was transferred in July 1952 to the French Navy, which renamed her ''Sibylle''. The boat was lost with all hands in a diving accident off
Toulon Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department. The Commune of Toulon h ...
on 24 September.


Design and description

The S-class submarines were designed to patrol the restricted waters of the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
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 ...
. The third batch was slightly enlarged and improved over the preceding second batch of the S-class. The submarines had a length of
overall Overalls or bib-and-brace overalls, also called dungarees in British English, are a type of garment usually used as protective clothing when working. The garments are commonly referred to as a "pair of overalls" by analogy with "pair of trousers ...
, a
beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Radio beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially lo ...
of and a draught of . They displaced on the surface and submerged. The S-class submarines had a crew of 48 officers and ratings. They had a diving depth of .McCartney, p. 7 For surface running, the boats were powered by two
diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...
s, each driving one
propeller shaft A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power, torque, and rotation, usually used to connect o ...
. When submerged each propeller was driven by a
electric motor An electric motor is a machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a electromagnetic coil, wire winding to gene ...
. They could reach on the surface and underwater. On the surface, the third-batch submarines had a range of at and at submerged. The boats were armed with seven 21-inch (533 mm)
torpedo tube A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...
s. A half-dozen of these were in the
bow BOW as an acronym may refer to: * Bag of waters, amniotic sac * Bartow Municipal Airport (IATA:BOW), a public use airport near Bartow, Florida, United States * Basic operating weight of an aircraft * BOW counties, made of Brown, Outagamie, and Winn ...
and there was one external tube in the stern. They carried six reload torpedoes for the bow tubes for a total of thirteen torpedoes. Twelve
mines Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging *Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun Mi ...
could be carried in lieu of the internally stowed torpedoes. They were also armed with a 3-inch (76 mm)
deck gun A deck gun is a type of naval artillery mounted on the deck of a submarine. Most submarine deck guns were open, with or without a shield; however, a few larger submarines placed these guns in a turret. The main deck gun was a dual-purpose w ...
. It is uncertain if ''Sportsman'' was completed with a Oerlikon light
AA gun Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-bas ...
or had one added later. The third-batch S-class boats were fitted with either a Type 129AR or 138
ASDIC Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances ( ranging), communicate with or detect objects o ...
system and a Type 291 or 291W
early-warning radar An early-warning radar is any radar system used primarily for the long-range detection of its targets, i.e., allowing defences to be alerted as ''early'' as possible before the intruder reaches its target, giving the air defences the maximum tim ...
.


Construction and career

Ordered on 14 October 1940 as part of the 1940 Naval Programme, ''Sportsman'' was
laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...
on 1 July 1941 at
Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham, Kent, Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham, Kent, Gillingham; at its most extens ...
. She was launched on 17 April 1942 and commissioned on 21 December that same year. Thus far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name ''Sportsman''. On 22 December, the boat left Chatham and arrived at
Sheerness Sheerness () is a port town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 13,249, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby ...
. From 23 to 24 December, she conducted
sea trial A sea trial or trial trip is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on op ...
s off Sheerness, then left for
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 ...
on 25 December, arriving the next day. ''Sportsman'' conducted additional sea trials there as well as exercises until 1 January 1943. On 3 January, she left Portsmouth for
Holy Loch The Holy Loch () is a sea loch, part of the Firth of Clyde, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The "Holy Loch" name is believed to date from the 6th century, when Saint Munn landed there after leaving Ireland. Kilmun Parish Church and Argyll Mausole ...
, together with the submarines HMS ''Uproar'' and HMS ''Oberon'', under the escort of the trawler HMS ''Unst'' until the armed
yacht A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a ...
HMS ''Star of India'' took over in the morning of the 4th. Between 6 January and 13 February, ''Sportsman'' took part in training exercises around Holy Loch, along with the
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 ...
HMS ''Ambuscade'' and ''Uproar''. On the 13th, the boat departed Holy Loch for
Lerwick Lerwick ( or ; ; ) is the main town and port of the Shetland archipelago, Scotland. Shetland's only burgh, Lerwick had a population of about 7,000 residents in 2010. It is the northernmost major settlement within the United Kingdom. Centred ...
, Scotland, in company with the submarines HMS ''Sea Nymph'' and HMS ''Truculent'' and the escort of the armed yacht HMS ''Cutty Sark''. Arriving at Lerwick on 16 February 1943, ''Sportsman'' departed several hours later for her first war patrol. The boat was to protect convoy operations from and to Northern Russia. She returned to Lerwick after her uneventful patrol on 11 March. The next day, she sailed to Holy Loch, then on 18 March, to
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 ...
for repairs. After returning to Holy Loch, she departed for
Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
, arriving on 12 April.


Mediterranean career

After exercises, ''Sportsman'' left Gibraltar on 18 April 1943 for her second war patrol off the Spanish coast, arriving at
Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...
on the 29th. After repairs at Algiers, involving her ASDIC dome cover and a defective
ballast tank A ballast tank is a Compartment (ship), compartment within a boat, ship or other floating structure that holds water, which is used as ballast to provide hydrostatic stability for a vessel, to reduce or control buoyancy, as in a submarine, to co ...
, the submarine left for her third war patrol in the
Gulf of Genoa The Gulf of Genoa (''Golfo di Genova'') is the northernmost part of the Ligurian Sea. This Italian gulf is about wide from the city of Imperia in the west to La Spezia in the east. The largest city on its coast is Genoa, which has an importan ...
and
Gulf of Lion The Gulf of Lion or Gulf of Lions is a wide embayment of the Mediterranean coastline of Catalonia in Spain with Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence in France, extending from Begur in the west to Toulon in the east. The chief port on the gulf is ...
. On 19 May, off
Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionVichy French Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against G ...
passenger ship A passenger ship is a merchant ship whose primary function is to carry passengers on the sea. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freig ...
, on a voyage from
Ajaccio Ajaccio (, , ; French language, French: ; or ; , locally: ; ) is the capital and largest city of Corsica, France. It forms a communes of France, French commune, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Corse-du-Sud, and head o ...
,
Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...
to Nice. There were 68 crew and 199 passengers on board, of which 137 survivors were rescued by the German
torpedo boat A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of ...
s and . A week later, on the 26th, ''Sportsman'' sighted the French
oil tanker An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk cargo, bulk transport of petroleum, oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quant ...
''Marguerite Finaly'' south of
Îles d'Hyères The Îles d'Hyères (), also known as Îles d'Or (), are a group of four Mediterranean islands off Hyères in the Var department of Southeastern France. Their old name is the Stoechades Islands from ''Stoikhádes'' from ''stoikhás'' meaning ...
and fired six torpedoes, but all missed their target. On 28 May, she attempted to attack a German
tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...
while surfaced, but the submarine's gun jammed after firing four rounds. On 2 June, she returned to Algiers, completing her third patrol. ''Sportsman'' left Algiers on 19 June, tasked with patrolling the Gulf of Genoa and landing two special operations agents in Italy. During the night of 27/28 June, the boat landed one agent near
Sanremo Sanremo, also spelled San Remo in English and formerly in Italian, is a (municipality) on the Mediterranean coast of Liguria, in northwestern Italy. Founded in Roman times, it has a population of 55,000, and is known as a tourist destination ...
, but the other refused to leave the boat. On the 29th, she sighted the Italian merchant ship ''Bolzaneto'' and sank her with one torpedo. There were 28 civilians and 8 crew members aboard, of whom 12 and 2 survived, respectively. During the night of 30 June/1 July, ''Sportsman'' landed a raiding force near
Bordighera Bordighera (; , locally ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Imperia, Liguria (Italy). Geography Bordighera is located from the land border between Italy and France, the French coast is visible from the town. Having the Capo Sant'Ampel ...
, Italy, to sabotage a railway line. The attempt failed after the party could not find their target. On 1 July, the boat attacked a convoy of
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. ...
and small ships, but her gun jammed after five rounds. She ended her fourth patrol in Algiers on the 6th. ''Sportsman'' departed Algiers on 23 July after conducting anti-submarine exercises, tasked with patrolling the northern part of the
Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (, ; or ) , , , , is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenians, Tyrrhenian people identified with the Etruscans of Italy. Geography The sea is bounded by the islands of C ...
, east of Corsica. She returned on 11 August after an uneventful patrol. On 25 August, ''Sportsman'' left Algiers to conduct training exercises, and on 28 August departed for her 6th war patrol. The boat was ordered to patrol the area east of Corsica. On 6 September, she sank the Italian fishing vessels ''Angiolina P.'' and ''Maria Luisa B.'' with gunfire. After learning of the
Italian armistice The Armistice of Cassibile ( Italian: ''Armistizio di Cassibile'') was an armistice that was signed on 3 September 1943 by Italy and the Allies, marking the end of hostilities between Italy and the Allies during World War II. It was made public ...
, on 9 September the boat set course for
Bastia Bastia ( , , , ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It also has the second-highest popu ...
, Corsica. She began an attack on a large German
fishing trawler A fishing trawler is a commercial fishing vessel designed to operate fishing trawls. Trawling is a method of fishing that involves actively dragging or pulling a trawl through the water behind one or more trawlers. Trawls are fishing nets tha ...
, but had to dive after coastal batteries opened fire on ''Sportsman'' and her target during the action off Bastia. Three days later, she picked up 44 survivors from the Italian Navigatori-class destroyer ''Ugolino Vivaldi'', which had been sunk by the Germans while trying to pass through the
Strait of Bonifacio The Strait of Bonifacio (; ; ; ; ; ; ) is the strait between Corsica and Sardinia, named after the Corsican town Bonifacio. It is wide and divides the Tyrrhenian Sea from the western Mediterranean Sea. The strait is notorious among sailors for i ...
to reach an Allied-held port on 9 September. The next day, at 04:51, ''Sportsman'' was mistakenly attacked by a
B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models desi ...
of the American 480th Bombardment Squadron. Seven
depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon designed to destroy submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited ...
s were dropped, one which hit the radar array, wounding one crew member, and another landed on the submarine's deck, although it was not noticed at the time. The submarine dived and, when at depth, the depth charge exploded, destroying the
bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...
and causing serious damage. The boat arrived at Algiers on 14 September for repairs.


Aegean Sea

After repairs and trials off Algiers, ''Sportsman'' sailed for
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 ...
together with HMS ''Sibyl'' on 22 October 1943, arriving three days later. On 26 October, she left Malta for
Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...
and arrived there on the 31st. The boat departed Beirut for
Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...
, on 3 November, arriving there the next day. It was planned for her to operate in the Black Sea, but the deployment was cancelled. On 6 November, ''Sportsman'' departed Haifa on her seventh war patrol, this time in the
Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...
. On 15 November, the boat sank the 70 GRT Greek sailing vessel ''Eleftherios V'' with gunfire north of
Naxos Naxos (; , ) is a Greek island belonging to the Cyclades island group. It is the largest island in the group. It was an important centre during the Bronze Age Cycladic Culture and in the Ancient Greek Archaic Period. The island is famous as ...
, Greece. Three days later, she fired six torpedoes at a German destroyer or torpedo boat, but all missed their target. On 20 November, ''Sportsman'' used her guns to sink the Greek ship ''Evangelistria'' off
Suda Bay Souda Bay () is a bay and natural harbour near the town of Souda on the northwest coast of the Greek island of Crete. The bay is about 15 km long and only two to four km wide, and a deep natural harbour. It is formed between the Akrot ...
,
Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...
, then returned to Beirut on 24 November. On 10 December, ''Sportsman'' departed Beirut on her eighth war patrol, again in the Aegean Sea. On 19 December, the submarine sank the Greek vessel ''Zora'' south of
Lemnos Island Lemnos ( ) or Limnos ( ) is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Lemnos (regional unit), Lemnos regional unit, which is part of the North Aegean modern regions of Greece ...
with a demolition charge after the crew was taken off. Two days later, ''Sportsman'' damaged the ship ''Agios Spiridon'' in the same area. ''Sportsman'' next torpedoed and sank the 3,838 GRT Bulgarian transport ''Balkan'' south of
Mudros Moudros () is a town and a former municipality on the island of Lemnos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lemnos, of which it is a municipal unit. It covers the entire eastern peninsula o ...
, Greece at on 23 December, despite being escorted by the destroyer ''TA-14'', the
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 ...
''R-211'' and the
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 ...
''S-54''.Jordan, p. 445 The submarine then ended her patrol on 30 December in Beirut. ''Sportsman''s next patrol began on 30 January 1944, her third in the Aegean Sea. On 8 February, ''Sportsman'' sighted the 4,685 GRT German transport ''Petrella'', en route from
Souda Souda () is a town and former municipality in the Chania regional unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Chania, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of . It is an imp ...
to
Piraeus Piraeus ( ; ; , Ancient: , Katharevousa: ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens city centre along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf in the Ath ...
, and attacked it with four torpedoes at despite its being clearly marked as a
prisoner-of-war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
(POW) transport.Rohwer, p. 305 Of the 3,173 Italian prisoners of war aboard ''Petrella'', 2,670 were killed, mostly because the German guards failed to release most of the POWs. On 13 February, ''Sportsman'' arrived at Beirut, then left the next day for
Port Said Port Said ( , , ) is a port city that lies in the northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, straddling the west bank of the northern mouth of the Suez Canal. The city is the capital city, capital of the Port S ...
, Egypt, for a short refit before being sent to the
Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...
. On 17 March the RN decided not to send her there as she did not have an air-conditioning unit, and the boat instead departed three days for another patrol in the Aegean. On 28 March, ''Sportsman'' sighted the 425 GRT German tanker ''Vienna'' and sank her with torpedoes off
Monemvasia Monemvasia (, or ) is a town and municipality in Laconia, Greece. The town is located in mainland Greece on a tied island off the east coast of the Peloponnese, surrounded by the Myrtoan Sea. Monemvasia is connected to the rest of the mainland by a ...
, Greece, at . Three days later, the submarine sank the German motor vessel ''Grauer Ort'', sailing from Monemvasia to Gythion, off
Cape Maleas Cape Maleas (also ''Cape Malea''; , colloquially Καβομαλιάς, ''Cavomaliás''), anciently Malea () and Maleae or Maleai (Μαλέαι), is a peninsula and cape in the southeast of the Peloponnese in Greece. To distinguish it from the ca ...
. Eight of ''Grauer Ort''s crew were taken as prisoners of war. ''Sportsman'' ended her tenth war patrol in Malta on 10 April. Again ordered to patrol the Aegean Sea, ''Sportsman'' departed on 18 April. On 28 April, the boat sank the heavily defended, 5,809 GRT German merchant ship ''Lüneburg'' north of
Iraklion Heraklion or Herakleion ( ; , , ), sometimes Iraklion, is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a municipal population of 179, ...
, Crete, at and the submarine successfully evaded her escorts. On 3 May, she attempted to attack another heavily defended convoy, formed by the German cargo ships ''Gertrud'' and ''Suzanne'' and five to seven escorts. ''Sportsman'' was detected with
sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances ( ranging), communicate with or detect objects o ...
and her periscope was then spotted by one of the defending ships. The boat dived and suffered only minor damage from the subsequent depth-charge attacks, then returned to Malta after three days, ending her patrol. On 25 May 1944, ''Sportsman'' departed Malta for Gibraltar, arriving on 31 May, then, after conducting training exercises, left for Holy Loch on 9 June. She arrived on 20 June, and left the next day for
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 ...
. The submarine then sailed for
Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...
on 25 June, and conducted additional training until 3 September, when she shifted to Blyth. She was sent to the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
on 8 October and arrived in
Philadelphia Navy Yard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was the first United States Navy shipyard and was historically important for nearly two centuries. Construction of the original Philadelphia Naval Shipyard began during the American Revolution in 1776 at Front ...
on 27 October for a refit. On 5 April 1945, participating in exercises off Philadelphia and New London, ''Sportsman'' set sail for the United Kingdom, escorted by the
frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...
HMCS ''Carlplace''. After a stop at
Horta, Azores Horta (), officially the Very Loyal Horta City (), is a city in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores encompassing the island of Faial, being coterminous with the Horta Municipality (). The population in 2011 was 15,038 in an area of . The cit ...
, for fuel, ''Sportsman'' arrived at Holy Loch on 23 April, then left for Scapa Flow on 6 July. ''Sportsman'' took part in various training exercises there until she departed for
Rothesay Rothesay ( ; ) is the principal town on the Isle of Bute, in the council area of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies along the coast of the Firth of Clyde. It can be reached by a Caledonian MacBrayne ferry from Wemyss Bay, which also offers an ...
on 20 July, to be deployed in the Far East. However, this assignment was cancelled when the war in the Pacific ended in August. ''Sportsman'' was placed in reserve on 20 December at
Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-o ...
.


French service and loss

On 8 July 1952 she was lent to the French Navy, who renamed her ''Sibylle''. She was in service briefly, for just 11 weeks, under the command of Lieutenant de Vaisseau Gustave Curot. On 24 September 1952, ''Sibylle'' was lost with all hands off
Toulon Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department. The Commune of Toulon h ...
during anti-submarine exercises. After diving, ''Sibylle''s course was followed with sonar by other ships until 8:20, but she failed to surface as expected at 9:30. Search planes from the French Admiralty found a large oil patch east of Cape Camarat, in an area where the sea is deep. The submarine's emergency-location
buoy A buoy (; ) is a buoyancy, floating device that can have many purposes. It can be anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift with ocean currents. History The ultimate origin of buoys is unknown, but by 1295 a seaman's manual referred to navig ...
was later found, but the cable connecting it to the boat was broken.


Sinkings

During her service with the Royal Navy, ''Sportsman'' sank 12 Axis ships for a total of 20,242 GRT.


Citations


References

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External links


IWM Interview with Richard Gatehouse, who commanded HMS Sportsman from 1942 to 1944
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sportsman British S-class submarines (1931) Ships built in Chatham 1942 ships World War II submarines of the United Kingdom Royal Navy ship names Saphir-class submarines (1951) Maritime incidents in 1952 Lost submarines of France Shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea Submarines lost with all hands