HNLMS Zwaardvisch (P322)

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.

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

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8. OCLC 67375475. 
• Hutchinson, Robert (2001). Jane's Submarines: War Beneath the Waves from 1776 to the Present Day. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-00-710558-8. OCLC 53783010.