HMS Saracen (P247)

HMS "Saracen" was an S class submarine of the Royal Navy, and part of the Third Group built of that class. She was built by Cammell Laird and launched on February 16 1942. Her original pennant was P247.

Career

She started her wartime career in home waters, where she sank the German submarine "U-335" in the North Sea. There was only one survivor out of a crew of 44.

She then served in the Mediterranean, where she sank the Italian submarine "Granito", the Italian auxiliary submarine chaser V 3 / "Maria Angelette", the French tugs "Provincale II" and "Marseillaise V", the Italian merchants "Tagliamento" and "Tripoli" and the German merchant "Tell". She also attacked and damaged two sailing vessels and the French (in German service) tanker "Marguerite Finally". She also attacked a number of convoys, torpedoeing and sinking the Italian merchant "Francesco Crispi". "Saracen" had less luck attacking other convoys though, firing three torpedoes against a convoy made up of the small Italian tanker "Labor", the German merchant "Menes", escorted by the Italian torpedo boats "Calliope" and "Climene". All torpedoes fired missed their targets. On another occasion, she fired four torpedoes against the German transport ship "Ankara" and one of her escorts, the Italian destroyer "Camicia Nera". Again all torpedoes fired missed their targets. [ [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3432.html HMS Saracen] , Uboat.net]

inking

On August 14 1943, whilst on patrol off Bastia, "Saracen" was spotted by the Italian corvettes "Minerva" and "Eutepe" who attacked with depth charges. "Saracen" was forced to surface and as the crew abandoned ship, they scuttled the submarine to avoid capture. [ [http://www.rnsubmus.co.uk/general/losses.htm Submarine losses 1904 to present day] , RN Submarine Museum, Gosport]

References

*Colledge