HMS Taurus was a Second World War T-class submarine, built by Vickers Armstrong, Barrow.
.jpg) HNLMS Dolfijn, ex HMS Taurus
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Taurus |
| Builder | Vickers Armstrong, Barrow |
| Laid down | 30 September 1941 |
| Launched | 27 June 1942 |
| Commissioned | 3 November 1942 |
| Fate | Transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy on 4 June 1948 |
| Badge |  |
 Netherlands | |
| Name | HNLMS Dolfijn |
| Commissioned | 4 June 1948 |
| Decommissioned | 7 December 1953 |
| Fate | Returned to Royal Navy on 7 December 1953 |
| United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Taurus |
| Recommissioned | 8 December 1953 |
| Fate | Scrapped April 1960 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | T-class submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 276 ft 6 in (84.28 m) |
| Beam | 25 ft 6 in (7.77 m) |
| Draught |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range | 4,500 nautical miles at 11 knots (8,330 km at 20 km/h) surfaced |
| Test depth | 300 ft (91 m) max |
| Complement | 61 |
| Armament |
|
Career edit
As HMS Taurus edit
The submarine was laid down on 30 September 1941, and launched on 27 June 1942. Taurus was commissioned on 3 November 1942 with the pennant number P339. She served in the Mediterranean and the Pacific Far East during the Second World War. Whilst serving in the Mediterranean, she sank the small French merchant Clairette, the Spanish merchant Bartolo, the Italian merchant Derna, the French tug Ghrib and two barges, the Portuguese Santa Irene , the small Italian tanker Alcione C., the Italian sailing vessel Luigi, twenty eight Greek sailing vessels, and the small Greek ship Romano. She also damaged a further two sailing ships and the Greek merchant Konstantinos Louloudis. It was during this period off the Greek coast she had the unusual distinction of engaging a Bulgarian cavalry unit while bombarding a small port.[1]
She was transferred to the Far East to operate against the Japanese, where she sank the Japanese submarine I-34, two Japanese tugboats and a barge and the Japanese salvage vessel Hokuan I-Go. She also laid a number of mines, which damaged the Japanese submarine I-37 and sank the Japanese transport ship Kasumi Maru.
Having survived the war, Taurus was transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy on 4 June 1948 and commissioned into service the same day. She was renamed Dolfijn.[2]
As HNLMS Dolfijn edit
Dolfijn had a relatively quiet career, making a number of cruises before being decommissioned on 7 November 1953 and transferred back to the Royal Navy.[3]
As HMS Taurus again edit
Dolfijn was recommissioned into the Royal Navy on 8 December 1953 and her name returned to the original HMS Taurus. She served for another seven years before being sold to be broken up for scrap in April 1960.
References edit
- ^ Submariners. Winton, John. London: Constable. 2000. ISBN 0094802203. OCLC 44058886.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ HMS Taurus, Uboat.net
- ^ HNLMS Dolfijn at dutchsubmarines.com
Publications edit
- 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.
- Hutchinson, Robert (2001). Jane's Submarines: War Beneath the Waves from 1776 to the Present Day. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-00-710558-8. OCLC 53783010.
External links edit
