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