HMS Tabard ( P342 ) HMS " Tabard " was a British submarine of the third group of the T class . She was built by Scotts , Greenock , and launched on 21 November 1945 . So far she has been the only boat of the Royal Navy to bear the name " Tabard " , after the item of clothing . Having been launched after the war , she was selected along with a number of boats of her class , to out new streamlining techniques based on the German Type XXIII submarine . In May 1963 , she was involved in a collision with HMAS " Queenborough " , and on 10 February 1964 she underwent exercises with HMAS " Melbourne " and HMAS " Voyager " in the hours before their collision . When she returned to the UK , she became the static training submarine at the HMS " Dolphin " shore establishment , until 1974 when she was sold and broken up . Design and description . " Tabard " had been originally ordered from Vickers Armstrong , Barrow , but the orders were switched to Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company , Greenock . Ordered as P . 342 , she was named " Tabard " in May 1943 after the Tabard , the official dress of a herald , and she is the only boat of the Royal Navy to bear the name . She was laid down on 6 September 1944 , and launched on 21 November 1945 before being completed on 25 June 1946 . It was one of fourteen boats ordered under the 1942 Programme , and was one of the five which were completed . Unlike some of the earlier boats of its class , it was not equipped with a 4 inch gun with a full shield , rather than a standard open gun mounting . Further aft , she had an Oerlikon 20 mm cannon mounting which was modified for boats by having holes cut in the pedestal for drainage . Being from the third group , she has an all – welded hull , which increased her diving depth to . Following post war tests by the British Navy on German " Type XXIII " submarine s , it was decided by the Admiralty to modify eight T - class submarines to enlarge the batteries , increase the power of the motors and streamline the hulls . In 1950 , " Tarbard " ' s pressure hull was cut at the after end of the engine room and the submarine was lengthened by . This gave enough room to add an additional battery compartment and a second pair of electric motors . The propulsion system was changed from direct to diesel – electric transmission . Along with HMS " Trump " , " Tabard " was one of two boats which were further modified by incorporating their bridge into a streamlined fin . Other streamlining adjustments were made to the hull with all external fittings removed , including the external torpedo tubes and gun . The periscopes , radar masts , snort mast and wireless mast were all incorporated into the new bridge fin . Service . " Tabard " was commissioned after the end of the Second World War , initially being sent for Mediterranean duties . In March 1949 , she was one of a number of ships to take part in Operation Two Step , a training exercise which combined the bulk of the Home Fleet with the Mediterranean Fleet to make up the biggest concentration of British ships since Operation Torch in November 1942 . On 17 January 1950 , along with HMS " Chequers " carrying Prince Philip , Duke of Edinburgh , she escorted HMS " Surprise " carrying Admiral Sir Arthur Power to meet with Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia for talks at Jeddah . While being refitted in Malta during June 1950 , she was damaged by electrical cables being installed by a disgruntled workman . Reports in the British media arose a little over a month later , mistakenly attributing the damage to HMS " Teredo " . On 18 December 1950 , she rescued Roi Wilson , later captain of the Old Royal Naval College , after he and his observer James Hawker had downed their Fairey Firefly . In 1960 , " Tabard " along with " Taciturn " and " Trump " , joined the 4th Submarine Squadron in Sydney , Australia . She underwent a refit at Cockatoo Island in Sydney between 9 January 1961 and 26 March 1962 , becoming the submarine to be refitted there . There , they operated with units of the Far East Fleet , the Royal Australian Navy , and the Royal New Zealand Navy . In April 1963 she collided with a wharf when docking in Brisbane , damaging her ASDIC sonar equipment . On 8 May , " Tabard " was involved in a further minor collision with Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS " Queenborough " , following a week of anti - submarine training exercises . " Tabard " was at periscope depth when " Queenborough " passed above her , bending the submarine ' s fin and the frigate ' s keel and port propeller . Both vessels were able to safely return to Sydney , where they docked at naval base HMAS " Kuttabul " for repairs . On 10 February 1964 , she participated in anti – submarine exercises with the aircraft carrier HMAS " Melbourne " and the destroyer HMAS " Voyager " , finishing at 1800 hours that day . Less than three hours later , " Voyager " sailed under " Melbourne " ' s bow and was cut in two and sunk , killing 82 of her crew in what was to become known as the Voyager Incident . Later that year in June , she participated in the " NEWS EX " anti – submarine exercise in the Hauraki Gulf off the coast of New Zealand . She underwent a second refit at Cockatoo Island between 9 October 1964 and 10 December 1965 , due to the extensive repairs required to her fin , casings and salt water systems . Following the establishment of the 1st Australian Submarine Squadron in 1967 , the 4th Submarine Squadron returned to the UK , however " Tabard " along with " Trump " remained behind on loan to the Royal Australian Navy . " Tabard " returned to the United Kingdom in March 1968 . She was permanently moored as a static training submarine at the HMS " Dolphin " shore - establishment from 1969 until 1974 , when she was replaced by HMS " Alliance " . " Tabard " was the last T - class boat in service with Royal Navy , albeit non - operationally . She was finally sold for scrap on 2 January 1974 , arriving at the breakers on 14 March 1974 . During her service , she spent two years in the Mediterranean and eight years in Australia , covering 253 , 349 miles .