HNLMS Zwaardvisch (P322)

Career
Name: HMS Talent
Builder: Vickers Armstrong, Barrow
John Brown & Company, Clydebank
Laid down: 13 October 1942
Launched: 17 July 1943
Fate: Transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy on 23 March 1943
Career
Name: HNLMS Zwaardvisch
Commissioned: 23 November 1943
Decommissioned: 11 December 1962
Renamed: Zwaardvis in 1950
Fate: sold for scrapping 12 July 1963
General characteristics
Displacement: 1,290 tons surfaced
1,560 tons submerged
Length: 276 ft 6 in (84.28 m)
Beam: 25 ft 6 in (7.77 m)
Draught:

12 ft 9 in (3.89 m) forward

14 ft 7 in (4.45 m) aft
Propulsion:

Two shafts
Twin diesel engines 2,500 hp (1.86 MW) each

Twin electric motors 1,450 hp (1.08 MW) each
Speed:

15.5 knots (28.7 km/h) surfaced

9 knots (20 km/h) submerged
Range: 4,500 nautical miles at 11 knots (8,330 km at 20 km/h) surfaced
Test depth: 300 ft (91 m) max
Complement: 61
Armament:

6 internal forward-facing torpedo tubes
2 external forward-facing torpedo tubes
2 external amidships rear-facing torpedo tubes
1 external rear-facing torpedo tubes
6 reload torpedoes
4 inch (100 mm) deck gun

3 anti aircraft machine guns

HNLMS Zwaardvisch (P322) was the lead ship of the Royal Netherlands Navy's Zwaardvisch-class submarine, which was based on the British T class. The submarine was originally ordered as HMS Talent (P322) and built by Vickers Armstrong, Barrow, and John Brown & Company, Clydebank. In 1950, the vessel was renamed HNLMS Zwaardvis.

Contents

Career

As HMS Talent

The submarine was laid down on the 13th of October 1942, and launched on 17 July 1943. She was not commissioned into the Royal Navy, instead being transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy on 23 March 1943, and commissioned into service on 23 November 1943. She was renamed Zwaardvisch, Dutch for 'Swordfish'. She went on to lead a distinguished career.[1]

As HNLMS Zwaardvisch

Zwaardvisch served for much of the war in the Pacific Far East, operating against the Japanese. She sank six sailing vessels, including the Kim Hup Soen and two Malaysian sailing vessels. She also sank the Japanese guardboat Koei Maru, the Japanese oceanographic research vessel Kaiyō No.2 and the Japanese minelayer Itsukushima. She also damaged the Japanese minelayer Wakataka. On 6 October 1944, she sank the German submarine U-168.[2]

She had a relatively quiet post war career, being renamed Zwaardvis in 1950. She was decommissioned on 11 December 1962, and was sold to be broken up for scrap on 12 July 1963.[3]

References

  1. ^ HMS Talent, Uboot.net
  2. ^ HNMS Zwaardvisch, Uboot.net
  3. ^ [1], dutchsubmarines.com