HMS Scorcher (P258)

HMS Scorcher
History
Class and type:	S-class submarine
Name:	HMS Scorcher
Ordered:	7 April 1943
Builder:	Cammell Laird & Co Limited, Birkenhead
Laid down:	14 December 1943
Launched:	18 December 1944
Commissioned:	16 March 1945
Fate:	broken up 1962
General characteristics
Displacement:	814-872 tons surfaced 990 tons submerged
Length:	217 ft (66 m)
Beam:	23 ft 6 in (7.16 m)
Draught:	11 ft (3.4 m)
Speed:	14.75 knots surfaced 8 knots submerged
Complement:	48 oficers and men
Armament:	6 × forward 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes, one aft 13 torpedoes one three-inch (76 mm) gun gun (QF 4-inch on later boats) one 20 mm cannon three .303-calibre machine gun

HMS Scorcher was an S-class submarine of the Royal Navy, and part of the Third Group built of that class. She was built by Cammell Laird and launched on 18 December 1944. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name Scorcher. She was launched by Thomas Beacham, a Foreman Driller employed by Cammell Laird.

Built as the Second World War was drawing to a close, she did not see much action. Along with her sisters, HMS Sirdar and Scythian, Scorcher took part in the search for the missing HMS Affray in 1951. Scorcher too had her fair share of accidents. She was damaged in a collision on 4 February 1956, and suffered a fire during exercises on 22 November 1956.^[1] In 1953 she took part in the Fleet Review to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.^[2]

Scorcher was eventually paid off and broken up at Charlestown in 1962.

References

Publications

• 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 Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8. OCLC 67375475.