Table Of ContentTHE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF
BRITAIN'S WW2 SUBMARINES
INSIDE A BRITISH SUBMARINE: COMPLEX DETAILS OF THE CRAFT
A SECTIONAL VIEW OF A BOAT OF THE "1" CLASS, SHOWING HOW MACHINERY, TORPEDOES, FIGHTING GEA-
It ha.s always been recognised that the submarine is the most complex fighting the two Diesel surface motors generating about 2500 h.p_ From this compart
machine yet devised. and this drawing--one of a series Illustrating the con men! a hatcll and ladder lead down into the tightly packed after auxiliary
struction and fIghting tactics of our unrlerwater boats- shows much of that com· machinery compartment. Proceeding forward, we pass a galley tc starboard and
plexity. Examining the boat in detail, we notice that right aft afe the steering the wireless room to port, and come to the large control room, with its steering
gear and compressors. Going forw:trd past the tiny stokers' mess deck to star· and divIng control wheels, its two periscopes. its navigating tabl<:. and a battery
board, we step through a narrow door into a watertight bulkhead in which is of valves controlling the balJast and compensating tanks Forward again. we
the trunk of the Davis escape gear. Through another door we enter a com· pass the captain's tiny cabin to starboard and come'to the ward room, .. home ,.
partment from which the underwater motors <l.re controlled and which houses of the officers. Further forward we find the larger quarters of the seamen'S
:\I'IHI~ ::!I. H-'1J filE lLLllSTH.\fEU LU:\!Ju.':\ ).:E\\'::l-·t30
:L2UT IN WHICH OUR UNDERWATER CREWS LIVE AND FIGHT.
TING GEAR A~D LIVING QUARTERS ARE COMPRESSED INTO A CRAFT HOUSING MORE THAN 50 MEN.
mess. with its foJ,:j:)g bunks. where most o( the men eat a~d sleep. Some. electric motors and lighting. the compressed. air bottles. and a host of other
however. sleep in t~e torpedo stowage compartment forward. reached through essentials. Above our heads various hatches lead to the steel deck of the super
another watertight tllkhead housing the forward escape trunk. B!:low our feet Structure. on which are. mounted a revolving <t.in.·gun platform, the bridge
is the space housill' th(' forward auxiliary machinery. and forward again is the structure housing the surface controls and periscope towers, and an anti·aircraft
compartment contaWng the reload torpedoes, others of which are stowed below. gun platform. Above these are stretched th~ steel" jumping wires" for throwing
ready for passing lr'out!:h a bulkhead to be loaded into the six main forward off underwater nets and obstructions.- This drawing of a British submarine provides
torpedo tubes In th!! b~ws Below us as we have walked forward 'iTe packed an interesting comparison with a similar drawing of a German U·boat, which
:he oil· fuel tanks. hiding more than 200 tons of fuel. the batteries for the appeared in .. The Illustrated London News" on January 16 this year.
SEA WOLVES
The Extraordinary Story of Britain's
WW2 Submarines
TIM CLAYTON
Little, Brown
LITTLE, BROWN
First published in Great Britain in 2011 by Litde, Brown
Copyright © Tim Clayton 2011
The right of Tim Clayton to be identified
as the author of this work has been assened by him in accordance
with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or·t ransmitted, in any form or by any means, without
the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated
in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published
and without a similar condition including this condition being
imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
A CIP catalogue record for this book
is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978-1-4087-0229-1
Typeset in Bembo by M Rules
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
Clays Ltd, St Ives pic
Little, Brown
An imprint of
Lirtle, Brown Book Group
100 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y ODY
An Hachette UK Company
www.hachette.co.uk
www.lirtlebrown.co.uk
Cover photo of Trnant crew includes: front row, kneeling,
Jack Pook (second left), Smithy the signaller (smoking)
and Eddie 'Buster' Brown (right).
To Bill King who inspired me to write it
Contents
Prologue: Perseus 1
1 First Blood 11
2 Senior Service 26
3 The Submarine Branch 40
4 The China Station 55
5 War Clouds 71
6 Total Germany 90
7 First Patrols 107
8 Horton's Purge 123
9 Hunter and Hunted 141
10 Nightmare Summer 156
11 No Tears! 174
12 Drafted Dolphin 194
13 Sink, Burn and Destroy! 214
14 Band of Brothers 237
15 No Margin for Mistakes 256
16 Count the Days 277
17 Selby's Luck 298
18 The Most Important Target
in the War at Sea 310
19 Mare Nostrum 328
20 H for Hell 347
21 One Jump Ahead of Death 365
22 Coming Home 380
Acknowledgements 391
Notes 393
Bibliography 416
Index 425
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