HMS Rorqual (S02)
HMS "Rorqual" (S02) was a "Porpoise"-class submarine launched in 1956. She was built by the Vickers shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. The boat was named for both the rorqual, a family of whale, and the earlier Second World War-era submarine of the same name. Design and construction. The "Porpoise"-class was the first class of operational submarines built for the Royal Navy after the end of the Second World War, and were designed to take advantage of experience gained by studying German Type XXI U-boats and British wartime experiments with the submarine , which was  modified by streamlining and fitting a bigger battery. The "Porpoise"-class submarines were long overall and between perpendiculars, with a beam of and a draught of . Displacement was standard and full load surfaced and submerged. Propulsion machinery consisted of 2 Admiralty Standard Range diesel generator rated at a total of , which could charge the submarine's batteries or directly drive the electric motors. These were rated at , and drove two shafts, giving a speed of on the surface and submerged. Eight 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes were fitted; six in the bow, and two in the stern. Up to 30  torpedoes could be carried, with the initial outfit consisting of the unguided Mark 8 and the homing Mark 20 torpedoes. "Rorqual" was laid down at Vickers-Armstrongs' Barrow-in-Furness shipyard on 15 January 1955, was launched on 5 December 1956 and completed on 24 October 1958. Service. In 1958, "Rorqual" experienced a fire. In February 1960, "Rorqual" visited the Mediterranean, calling at La Spezia in Italy and Nice in southern France before returning home to Faslane at the end of the month. In 1963, she was caught in a trawler's net. An explosion in 1966 killed one junior  rate and injured the chief of the watch, who died ashore at Inhambane, "Rorqual" was off the coast of Mozambique en route to Singapore. In 1969, "Rorqual" rammed a moored minesweeper, USS "Endurance" (MSO-435) while docking at River Point pier in Subic Bay, Philippines. The collision punched a large hole in " Endurance's" hull but did not damage "Rorqual". At the time of the incident, "Rorqual" was commanded by Lieutenant-Commander Gavin Menzies who retired the following year and later published the controversial book "". "Rorqual" won the SOCA Efficiency trophy in 1973. "Rorqual" arrived at the Laira breaker's yard  near Plymouth on 5 May 1977. She was broken up by Davies & Cann.