HMS Tireless (P327)

HMS Tireless, a Taciturn- or T-class submarine, was the first ship of the Royal Navy to bear that name. She was authorized under the 1941 War Emergency Program and her keel was laid down on 30 October 1941 at Portsmouth Dockyard. She was launched on 19 March 1943 and was completed on 18 April 1945.

HMS Tireless (P327)
History
United Kingdom
Name:	Tireless
Ordered:	1941
Builder:	Portsmouth Dockyard
Laid down:	30 October 1941
Launched:	19 March 1943
Commissioned:	18 April 1945
Decommissioned:	August 1963
Identification:	Pennant number P327
Fate:	scrapped, 1968
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type:	T-class submarine
Displacement:	1,290 tons surfaced 1,560 tons submerged
Length:	276 ft 6 in (84.28 m)
Beam:	25 ft 6 in (7.77 m)
Draught:	12 ft 9 in (3.89 m) forward 14 ft 7 in (4.45 m) aft
Propulsion:	Two shafts Twin diesel engines 2,500 hp (1.9 MW) each Twin electric motors 1,450 hp (1.08 MW) each
Speed:	15.5 knots (28.7 km/h) surfaced 9 knots (17 km/h) submerged
Range:	4,500 nautical miles (8,300 km) at 11 knots (20 km/h) surfaced
Test depth:	300 ft (91 m) max
Complement:	61
Armament:	6 internal forward-facing 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes 2 external forward-facing torpedo tubes 2 external amidships rear-facing torpedo tubes 1 external rear-facing torpedo tubes 6 reload torpedoes QF 4 inch (100 mm) deck gun 3 anti-aircraft machine guns

Operational Service

HMS Tireless at sea, May 1945. © IWM (A 29284)

Commissioned on 18 April 1945, towards the end of the Second World War, Tireless operated in the Far East between late 1945 and 1946 and then in home waters.[1] In 1951 she was the first of her class to be streamlined at HM Naval Dockyard, Devonport. In 1953 she took part in the Fleet Review to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.[2]

By the late 1950s she was again modernised at Chatham Dockyard. In 1959 Tireless was part of the Home Fleet and took part in 'Navy Days' in Portsmouth during that year.[3] Beginning in 1960, the submarine was the first command of future Adm. Sandy Woodward, who led Royal Navy forces in the South Atlantic during the 1982 Falklands War.

She remained in service until August 1963 when she was put on the sale list. She was broken up during 1968.[1]

Commanding officers

From	To	Captain
1944	1946	Lieutenant Commander (Acting) M L C Crawford DSC* RN
1952	1953?	Lieutenant Commander P R Wood DSC* RN
1959	1959	Lieutenant A D C Lund RN
1960	1961?	Lieutenant Commander Sandy Woodward RN

References

1. "HMS Tireless (P 327)". uboat.net. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
2. Souvenir Programme, Coronation Review of the Fleet, Spithead, 15th June 1953, HMSO, Gale and Polden
3. Programme, Navy Days Portsmouth 28-30th March 1959, HMSO

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.
• 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.