Recognition Guide Warships of the Second World War
Royal Navy — Submarine P321

HMS Telemachus (P321)

British T-class submarine

HMS Telemachus (P321)
Allan C. Green — https://www.flickr.com/photos/41311545@N05/4696047800/ — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons Plate — P321 Text from Flickr: As the RAN had no submarines of its own in the immediate postwar period p- a situation that prevailed until the 1960s - agreement was reached with the Admiralty for a flotilla of Royal Navy submarines to be based in Sydney to keep the RAN abreast of training. The first two boats to arrive were HMS TELEMACHUS [above, seen berthing in Melbourne] and HMS THOROUGH. Photo: Allan C. Gr

Service

  1. Royal Navy as HMS Telemachus25 October 1943 — 1 August 1961678 days of the war
British T-class submarine Particulars
Name
HMS Telemachus
Pennant / hull number
P321
Namesake
Telemachus
Builder
Vickers-Armstrongs, Barrow
Ordered
3 August 1941
Laid down
25 August 1942
Launched
19 June 1943
Commissioned
25 October 1943
Fate
Scrapped 1 August 1961 (1961)
Status
Scrapped

Specifications

Displacement, surfaced
1,290 long tons (1,311 t)
Displacement, submerged
1,560 long tons (1,585 t)
Length
84.12 m (276 ft)
Beam
7.62 m (25 ft)
Draught
3.66 m (12 ft)
Speed
15.5 knots (28.7 km/h, 17.8 mph)
Range
4,500 nmi (8,334 km)
Complement
61
Main gun
102 mm (4 in)

HMS Telemachus was a British T-class submarine, operated by the Royal Navy. She carried the pennant number P321. The ship was named after Telemachus. Her keel was laid at Vickers-Armstrongs, Barrow on 25 August 1942. She entered service on 25 October 1943, having been launched on 19 June 1943.

She was one of 52 ships of her class. The class followed the Grampus-class submarine and was succeeded by the U class.

The boat displaced 1,290 long tons surfaced and 1,560 long tons submerged. She measured 84.1 m (276 ft) long with a beam of 7.6 m (25 ft). Her designed speed was 15.5 knots, and she carried a complement of 61. Her main battery was of 102 mm (4.0 in) calibre.

She was in commission for 678 days of the Second World War.

She was broken up for scrap on 1 August 1961.

Written from the harvested record. Every figure above is sourced; the wording is this site's own.

Armament and machinery

Armament and machinery
Propulsion
  • Two shafts
  • Twin diesel engines 2,500 hp (1.86 MW) each
  • Twin electric motors 1,450 hp (1.08 MW) each
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 tube, aft
  • 6 reload torpedoes
  • QF 4 inch (100 mm) deck gun
  • 3 anti aircraft machine guns

Sister ships

27 more in the class

Sources

  • Facts harvested from HMS Telemachus (P321) on Wikipedia. Figures only — no wording is taken from it.
  • Photograph: Allan C. Green — https://www.flickr.com/photos/41311545@N05/4696047800/ — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons