HMS Sealion (72S)

HMS "Sealion" was a Royal Navy S-class submarine which was launched March 16, 1934 and fought in World War II.

She had an eventful career after the outbreak of war. She attacked "U-21" off the Dogger Bank in November 1939, but failed to sink her. Her first success was the German merchant "August Leonhard", sunk in April 1940. She later attacked the German merchant "Moltkefels", but failed to hit her. She fired upon the beached "Palime", and unsuccessfully attacked "U-62" in July 1940. She finished her patrol by sinking the Norwegian merchant "Toran" and attacking but failing to sink the German merchant "Cläre Hugo Stinnes" in August.

In February 1941 she sank the (German controlled) Norwegian ship "Ryfylke". In May of that year "Sealion" unsuccessfully attacked "U-74". In July she attacked French shipping, sinking the French fishing vessels "Gustav Eugene" and "Gustav Jeanne", and on succeeding days, "Christus Regnat" and "St Pierre d'Alcantara".

She was one of a number of submarines ordered to track the German battleship Bismarck before her eventual sinking.

Towards the end of 1941 she sank the Norwegian tanker "Vesco" and the Norwegian merchant "Island". [ [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3422.html HMS Sealion] , Uboot.net]

She was scuttled as an ASDIC target off the Isle of Arran on March 13 1945.

References

*Colledge