HMS Excalibur
| Career (UK) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | HMS Excalibur |
| Ordered: | 26 August 1947 |
| Builder: | Vickers Armstrong[1] |
| Launched: | 25 February 1955 |
| Completed: | 22 February 1958 |
| Nickname: | The Excruciator[2] |
| Fate: | Scrapped 1968 |
| Notes: | Built at a cost of £1,142,000 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: |
780 tons surfaced 1,000 tons submerged |
| Length: | 178 ft (54 m) |
| Beam: | 15 ft 8 in (4.78 m) |
| Draught: | 11 ft (3.4 m) |
| Propulsion: |
High Test Peroxide (HTP) steam raising plant driving 15,000 shp steam turbines (submerged) Diesel-electric (surfaced) 2 shafts |
| Speed: | 25 knots (46.3 km/h) (submerged) |
| Complement: | 49 |
| Armament: | None |
HMS Excalibur was the sister ship of HMS Explorer, the two submarines being the only High test peroxide (HTP) powered submarines to be constructed by the Royal Navy. She is the only ship to be named as such, and was named in honour of the sword of King Arthur of the Arthurian legend.
For details of the decisions leading to their construction, and problems affecting the vessels, please refer to the article on HMS Explorer.
Operation
Both Excalibur and Explorer were assigned to the 3rd Submarine Squadron although due to their experimental nature, they tended to operate independently, accompanied by their depot ship HMS Kingfisher and a fuel carrier, RFA Spabeck. They later acted as high speed underwater targets for the Royal Navy's prototype nuclear-powered submarine HMS Dreadnought.
Periscope
The submarine's periscope survives. It was installed in the starter's hut at the Golf House Club, the golf club at Elie and Earlsferry, Scotland; players and visitors may use it to view the golf course.[3]
References
- ↑ Oldships.org.uk HMS Excalibur
- ↑ Submarine Heritage Centre
- ↑ Ronnie Leask (12 October 2008). "NO4800 : Periscope in starters hut Elie Golf Course". www.geograph.org. Retrieved 19 September 2011.