HMS Statesman (P246)

HMS Statesman
History
Class and type:	S class submarine
Name:	HMS Statesman
Builder:	Cammell Laird & Co Limited, Birkenhead
Laid down:	2 November 1942
Launched:	14 September 1943
Commissioned:	13 December 1943
Renamed:	Sultane, 5 November 1959
Reclassified:	lent to French navy 1952
Fate:	Sold 3 January 1961
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 officers and men
Armament:	6 × forward 21-inch torpedo tubes, one aft 13 torpedoes one three-inch gun (four-inch on later boats) one 20 mm cannon three .303-calibre machine gun
Notes:

HMS Statesman 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 14 September 1943. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name Statesman.

Career

She spent the time between August 1944 and August 1945 with the Eastern Fleet, where she had an eventful career. She sank the Japanese army cargo ship Sugi Maru No.5 (the former Panamanian flagged, Norwegian owned Gran), twenty five Japanese sailing vessels, the Japanese trawler Matsujima Maru No.3, four Japanese coasters, including the Nippon Maru No.19, Nanyo Maru No. 17 and Nippon Maru No.14, a small Japanese tanker, five small unidentified Japanese vessels, ten small Japanese landing craft, three Japanese barges and a derelict wreck drifting in the Straits of Malacca, described as probably a coaster.

The sinking of the Haguro

On 9 May 1945 the Japanese heavy cruiser Haguro and the Japanese destroyer Kamikaze left Singapore for a transport run to the Andaman Islands. They were sighted the next day in the Malacca Strait by Statesman and her sister, HMS Subtle. To intercept the Japanese ships, a task force made up of two battleships, one heavy cruiser, two light cruisers, four escort carriers and eight destroyers left Trincomalee. Aircraft from the escort carriers attacked the Nicobar Islands on the 11th, forcing Haguro and Kamikaze to head back to Singapore. On 16 May 1945 On the 14th the Japanese ships again departed Singapore for the Andaman Islands. They were spotted the next day north-east of Sabang by aircraft from the British escort carrier HMS Shah. A few hours later they were attacked by aircraft from the British escort carrier HMS Emperor, causing light damage to Haguro. In the meantime Japanese aircraft had sighted Allied destroyers closing in on Haguro and once again the Japanese ships reversed course.

In anticipation on the Japanese reversal of course, the commander of the British 26th Destroyer Flotilla, Captain M.L. Power, on board HMS Saumarez and the other British destroyers HMS Venus, HMS Verulam, HMS Vigilant and HMS Virago plotted a course to intercept the Japanese ships, which they did shortly before midnight on the 15th. After careful manoeuvering the destroyers began attacking the Japanese ships from all sides shortly after one o'clock on the 16th. Haguro was hit by torpedoes and gunfire and sank around 0230 hours, but not before she hit Saumarez with gunfire. The escorting Japanese destroyer Kamikaze escaped with only minor damage.^[1] It was during this operation that HMS Statesman put into Pangkor Laut, a small island in the Malacca Strait to retrieve Lt Col. Spencer Chapman, a British Army officer who had been operating behind Japanese lines since the invasion in 1942.

Postwar

She survived the Second World War and was lent to the French navy in 1952. She was renamed Sultane on 5 November 1959 and spent nine years in service with the French. She was returned to be sold on 3 January 1961 to Pounds, of Portsmouth to be broken up.

The conning tower now survives (or at least it's marked P246) on a hilltop in Fort Southwick, an ex-military fort at Portsdown Hill Hampshire. Here she is viewed from above.

https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=portdown+hill&sll=50.847172,-0.9261&sspn=0.011259,0.018089&ie=UTF8&ll=50.857945,-1.107213&spn=0.000352,0.000565&t=h&z=21

References

• 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. 

S-class submarines
Royal Navy	First Group Seahorse Starfish Sturgeon Swordfish Second Group Salmon Sealion Seawolf Shark Snapper Spearfish Sterlet Sunfish Third Group P222 Safari Saga Sahib Sanguine Saracen Satyr Sceptre Scorcher Scotsman Scythian Sea Devil Seadog Sea Nymph Sea Rover Sea Scout Selene Seneschal Sentinel Seraph Shakespeare Shalimar Sibyl Sickle Sidon Simoom Sirdar Sleuth Solent Spark Spearhead Spirit Spiteful Splendid Sportsman Springer Spur Statesman Stoic Stonehenge Storm Stratagem Strongbow Stubborn Sturdy Stygian Subtle Supreme Surf Syrtis
Other operators  French Navy Saphir class Saphir Sibylle Sirène Sultane  Israeli Navy Rahav Tanin  Royal Netherlands Navy Zeehond  Portuguese Navy Narval Náutilo Neptuno  Soviet Navy V-1
Preceded by: Rainbow class Followed by: River class List of submarines of the Royal Navy List of submarine classes of the Royal Navy

Coordinates: 11°40′N 92°45′E / 11.667°N 92.750°E / 11.667; 92.750