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HMS Tabard (P342)
Encyclopedia
HMS Tabard (pennant number
P342) was a British
submarine
of the third group of the T class
. She was built by Scotts
, Greenock
, and launched on 21 November 1945. So far she has been the only boat of the Royal Navy
to bear the name Tabard, after the item of clothing
. Having been launched after the war, she was selected along with a number of boats of her class, to out new streamlining techniques based on the German Type XXIII class submarine
. In May 1963, she was involved in a collision with HMAS Queenborough, and on 10 February 1964 she underwent exercises with HMAS Melbourne and HMAS Voyager
in the hours before their collision. When she returned to the UK, she became the static training submarine at the HMS Dolphin shore establishment, until 1974 when she was sold and broken up.
, Barrow
, but the orders were switched to Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company
, Greenock
. Ordered as P. 342, she was named Tabard in May 1943 after the Tabard
, the official dress of a herald, and she is the only boat of the Royal Navy
to bear the name. She was laid down on 6 September 1944, and launched on 21 November 1945 before being completed on 25 June 1946. It was one of fourteen boats ordered under the 1942 Programme, and was one of the five which were completed. Unlike some of the earlier boats of its class, it was not equipped with a 4 inch gun with a full shield, rather than a standard open gun mounting. Further aft, she had a Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
mounting which was modified for boats by having holes cut in the pedestal for drainage. Being from the third group, she has an all–welded hull, which increased her diving depth to 350 feet (106.7 m).
Following post war tests by the British Navy on German Type XXIII submarine
s, it was decided by the Admiralty to modify eight T Class submarines to enlarge the batteries, increase the power of the motors and streamline the hulls. In 1950, Tarbards pressure hull was cut at the after end of the engine room and the submarine was lengthened by 20 feet (6.1 m). This gave enough room to add an additional battery compartment and a second pair of electric motors. The propulsion system was changed from direct to diesel–electric transmission. Along with HMS Trump
, Tabard was one of two boats which were further modified by incorporating their bridge into a streamlined fin. Other streamlining adjustments were made to the hull with all external fittings removed, including the external torpedo tubes and gun. The periscopes, radar masts, snort mast
and wireless mast were all incorporated into the new bridge fin.
in November 1942. On 17 January 1950, along with HMS Chequers carrying Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
, she escorted HMS Surprise
carrying Admiral Sir Arthur Power
to meet with Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia
for talks at Jeddah
. While being refitted in Malta during June 1950, electrical cables being installed by a disgruntled workman. Reports in British Press arose a little over a month later, mistakingly attributing the damage to HMS Teredo
. On 18 December 1950, she rescued Roi Wilson
, later Captain of the Old Royal Naval College
, after he and his observer James Hawker had downed their Fairey Firefly
.
In 1960, Tabard along with Taciturn
and Trump, joined the 4th Submarine Squadron in Sydney
, Australia. She underwent a refit at Cockatoo Island in Sydney between 9 January 1961 and 26 March 1962, becoming the submarine to be refitted there. There, they operated with units of the Far East Fleet, the Royal Australian Navy, and the Royal New Zealand Navy. In April 1963 she collided with a wharf when docking in Brisbane
, damaging her ASDIC sonar equipment. On 8 May, Tabard was involved in a further minor collision with Royal Australian Navy
frigate HMAS Queenborough, following a week of anti-submarine training exercises. Tabard was at periscope depth when Queenborough passed above her, bending the submarine's fin and the frigate's keel and port propeller. Both vessels were able to safely return to Sydney, where they docked at naval base HMAS Kuttabul for repairs.
On 10 February 1964, she participated in anti–submarine exercises with the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne and the destroyer HMAS Voyager
, finishing at 1800 hours that day. Less than three hours later, Voyager sailed under Melbournes bow and was cut in two and sunk, killing 82 of her crew in what was to become known as the Voyager Incident. Later that year in June, she participated in the NEWS EX anti–submarine exercise in the Hauraki Gulf
off the coast of New Zealand.
She underwent a second refit at Cockatoo Island between 9 October 1964 and 10 December 1965, due to the extensive repairs required to her fin, casings and salt water systems. Following the establishment of the 1st Australian Submarine Squadron in 1967, the 4th Submarine Squadron returned to the UK, however Tabard along with Trump remained behind on loan to the Royal Australian Navy
. Tabard returned to the United Kingdom in March 1968. She was permanently moored as a static training submarine at the HMS Dolphin shore-establishment
from 1969 until 1974, when she was replaced by HMS Alliance
.
Tabard was the last T class boat in service with Royal Navy, albeit non-operationally. She was finally sold for scrap on 2 January 1974, arriving at the breakers on 14 March 1974. During her service, she spent two years in the Mediterranean and eight years in Australia, covering 253,349 miles.
Pennant number
In the modern Royal Navy, and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth, ships are identified by pennant numbers...
P342) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
of the third group of the T class
British T class submarine
The Royal Navy's T class of diesel-electric submarines was designed in the 1930s to replace the O, P and R classes. Fifty-three members of the class were built just before and during the Second World War, where they played a major role in the Royal Navy's submarine operations...
. She was built by Scotts
Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company
Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Limited, often referred to simply as Scotts, was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Greenock on the River Clyde.- History :...
, Greenock
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
, and launched on 21 November 1945. So far she has been the only boat of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
to bear the name Tabard, after the item of clothing
Tabard
A tabard is a short coat, either sleeveless, or with short sleeves or shoulder pieces, which was a common item of men's clothing in the Middle Ages, usually for outdoors. It might be belted, or not...
. Having been launched after the war, she was selected along with a number of boats of her class, to out new streamlining techniques based on the German Type XXIII class submarine
German Type XXIII submarine
German Type XXIII submarines were the first so-called elektroboats to become operational. They were small coastal submarines designed to operate in the shallow waters of the North Sea, Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea, where larger Type XXI Elektro boats were at risk in World War II. They were so...
. In May 1963, she was involved in a collision with HMAS Queenborough, and on 10 February 1964 she underwent exercises with HMAS Melbourne and HMAS Voyager
HMAS Voyager (D04)
HMAS Voyager was a Daring class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy , that was lost in a collision in 1964.Constructed between 1949 and 1957, Voyager was the first ship of her class to enter Australian service, and the first all-welded ship to be built in Australia...
in the hours before their collision. When she returned to the UK, she became the static training submarine at the HMS Dolphin shore establishment, until 1974 when she was sold and broken up.
Design and description
Tabard had been originally ordered from Vickers ArmstrongVickers Armstrong
Vickers-Armstrongs Limited was a British engineering conglomerate formed by the merger of the assets of Vickers Limited and Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Company in 1927...
, Barrow
Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...
, but the orders were switched to Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company
Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company
Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Limited, often referred to simply as Scotts, was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Greenock on the River Clyde.- History :...
, Greenock
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
. Ordered as P. 342, she was named Tabard in May 1943 after the Tabard
Tabard
A tabard is a short coat, either sleeveless, or with short sleeves or shoulder pieces, which was a common item of men's clothing in the Middle Ages, usually for outdoors. It might be belted, or not...
, the official dress of a herald, and she is the only boat of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
to bear the name. She was laid down on 6 September 1944, and launched on 21 November 1945 before being completed on 25 June 1946. It was one of fourteen boats ordered under the 1942 Programme, and was one of the five which were completed. Unlike some of the earlier boats of its class, it was not equipped with a 4 inch gun with a full shield, rather than a standard open gun mounting. Further aft, she had a Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original design by Reinhold Becker of Germany, very early in World War I, and widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others...
mounting which was modified for boats by having holes cut in the pedestal for drainage. Being from the third group, she has an all–welded hull, which increased her diving depth to 350 feet (106.7 m).
Following post war tests by the British Navy on German Type XXIII submarine
German Type XXIII submarine
German Type XXIII submarines were the first so-called elektroboats to become operational. They were small coastal submarines designed to operate in the shallow waters of the North Sea, Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea, where larger Type XXI Elektro boats were at risk in World War II. They were so...
s, it was decided by the Admiralty to modify eight T Class submarines to enlarge the batteries, increase the power of the motors and streamline the hulls. In 1950, Tarbards pressure hull was cut at the after end of the engine room and the submarine was lengthened by 20 feet (6.1 m). This gave enough room to add an additional battery compartment and a second pair of electric motors. The propulsion system was changed from direct to diesel–electric transmission. Along with HMS Trump
HMS Trump (P333)
HMS Trump was a British submarine of the third group of the T class. She was built by Vickers Armstrong, Barrow, and launched on 25 March 1944. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name Trump. She spent the majority of her life attached to the 4th Submarine division...
, Tabard was one of two boats which were further modified by incorporating their bridge into a streamlined fin. Other streamlining adjustments were made to the hull with all external fittings removed, including the external torpedo tubes and gun. The periscopes, radar masts, snort mast
Submarine snorkel
A submarine snorkel is a device which allows a submarine to operate submerged while still taking in air from above the surface. Navy personnel often refer to it as the snort.-History:...
and wireless mast were all incorporated into the new bridge fin.
Service
Tabard was commissioned after the end of the Second World War, initially being sent for Mediterranean duties. In March 1949, she was one of a number of ships to take part in Operation Two Step, a training exercise which combined the bulk of the Home Fleet with the Mediterranean Fleet to make up the biggest concentration of British ships since Operation TorchOperation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
in November 1942. On 17 January 1950, along with HMS Chequers carrying Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
, she escorted HMS Surprise
HMS Surprise (K346)
HMS Surprise was a Bay-class anti-aircraft frigate of the British Royal Navy. In commission from 1946 to 1965, she served in the Mediterranean Fleet as a Despatch Vessel for the Commander-in-Chief. Although principally employed for the use as a yacht by the CinC, Surprise was also deployed in its...
carrying Admiral Sir Arthur Power
Arthur Power
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Arthur John Power GCB, GBE, CVO was an officer of the Royal Navy, who saw service in World War I and World War II.-Naval career:Power joined the Royal Navy in 1909 and served in World War I...
to meet with Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia
Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia
King Abdul-Aziz of Saudi Arabia was the first monarch of the Third Saudi State known as Saudi Arabia. He was commonly referred to as Ibn Saud....
for talks at Jeddah
Jeddah
Jeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The...
. While being refitted in Malta during June 1950, electrical cables being installed by a disgruntled workman. Reports in British Press arose a little over a month later, mistakingly attributing the damage to HMS Teredo
HMS Teredo (P338)
HMS Teredo was a British submarine of the third group of the T class. She was built as P338 at Vickers Armstrong, Barrow, and John Brown & Company, Clydebank, and launched on 27 April 1945...
. On 18 December 1950, she rescued Roi Wilson
Roi Wilson
Captain Roi Edgerton "Tug" Wilson, CBE, DFC was a Royal Navy officer and Master of the Royal Caledonian Schools.-Early life:...
, later Captain of the Old Royal Naval College
Old Royal Naval College
The Old Royal Naval College is the architectural centrepiece of Maritime Greenwich, a World Heritage Site in Greenwich, London, described by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation as being of “outstanding universal value” and reckoned to be the “finest and most...
, after he and his observer James Hawker had downed their Fairey Firefly
Fairey Firefly
The Fairey Firefly was a British Second World War-era carrier-borne fighter aircraft and anti-submarine aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm ....
.
In 1960, Tabard along with Taciturn
HMS Taciturn (P314)
HMS Taciturn was a British submarine of the third group of the T class. She was built as P314 by Vickers Armstrong, Barrow and Bellis and Morcom Ltd., and launched on 7 June 1944...
and Trump, joined the 4th Submarine Squadron in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia. She underwent a refit at Cockatoo Island in Sydney between 9 January 1961 and 26 March 1962, becoming the submarine to be refitted there. There, they operated with units of the Far East Fleet, the Royal Australian Navy, and the Royal New Zealand Navy. In April 1963 she collided with a wharf when docking in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, damaging her ASDIC sonar equipment. On 8 May, Tabard was involved in a further minor collision with Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
frigate HMAS Queenborough, following a week of anti-submarine training exercises. Tabard was at periscope depth when Queenborough passed above her, bending the submarine's fin and the frigate's keel and port propeller. Both vessels were able to safely return to Sydney, where they docked at naval base HMAS Kuttabul for repairs.
On 10 February 1964, she participated in anti–submarine exercises with the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne and the destroyer HMAS Voyager
HMAS Voyager (D04)
HMAS Voyager was a Daring class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy , that was lost in a collision in 1964.Constructed between 1949 and 1957, Voyager was the first ship of her class to enter Australian service, and the first all-welded ship to be built in Australia...
, finishing at 1800 hours that day. Less than three hours later, Voyager sailed under Melbournes bow and was cut in two and sunk, killing 82 of her crew in what was to become known as the Voyager Incident. Later that year in June, she participated in the NEWS EX anti–submarine exercise in the Hauraki Gulf
Hauraki Gulf
The Hauraki Gulf is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has a total area of 4000 km², and lies between the Auckland Region, the Hauraki Plains, the Coromandel Peninsula and Great Barrier Island...
off the coast of New Zealand.
She underwent a second refit at Cockatoo Island between 9 October 1964 and 10 December 1965, due to the extensive repairs required to her fin, casings and salt water systems. Following the establishment of the 1st Australian Submarine Squadron in 1967, the 4th Submarine Squadron returned to the UK, however Tabard along with Trump remained behind on loan to the Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
. Tabard returned to the United Kingdom in March 1968. She was permanently moored as a static training submarine at the HMS Dolphin shore-establishment
HMS Dolphin shore-establishment
The seventeenth Royal Navy 'ship' to be named HMS Dolphin was the RN shore establishment sited at Fort Blockhouse in Gosport. Dolphin was the home of the Royal Navy Submarine Service from 1904 to 1999, and location of the Royal Navy Submarine School....
from 1969 until 1974, when she was replaced by HMS Alliance
HMS Alliance (P417)
HMS Alliance is a Royal Navy A-class, Amphion class or Acheron class submarine, laid down towards the end of the Second World War and completed in 1947...
.
Tabard was the last T class boat in service with Royal Navy, albeit non-operationally. She was finally sold for scrap on 2 January 1974, arriving at the breakers on 14 March 1974. During her service, she spent two years in the Mediterranean and eight years in Australia, covering 253,349 miles.