- Grampus class submarine
The "Grampus" class submarines were a group of
minelaying submarine s built for the BritishRoyal Navy in the late 1930s. These boats are sometimes referred to as the "Porpoise" class from the single prototype, HMS "Porpoise" built in 1932. Five boats to a modified design were built between 1936 and 1938. The ships were all named after marine mammals.Design
The mines were stored in a special "gallery" with a conveyor belt built into the outer casing as pioneered by the converted
M class submarine HMS "M3". These boats were of a saddle tank type.ervice
They were used extensively in the
Mediterranean , particularly to supply the besieged island of Malta in a service nicknamed the "magic carpet".Only one, HMS "Rorqual", survived the war.
Boats in class
References
* "Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946"
* [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/class.html?ID=49 - page from U-boat.net]
* [http://www.submariners.co.uk/Boats/Barrowbuilt/Minelaying/index.htm - page from submariners.co.uk]
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