Recognition Guide Warships of the Second World War
Royal Navy — Submarine N11

HMS Thorn (N11)

British T class submarine

HMS Thorn (N11)
Stewart Bale Ltd, Liverpool — This photograph FL 4568 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums (collection no. 8308-29) — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons Plate — N11 British T class submarine HMSM THORN underway on the River Mersey on completion.

Service

  1. Royal Navy as HMS Thorn26 August 1941 — 6 August 1942345 days of the war
British T class submarine Particulars
Name
HMS Thorn
Pennant / hull number
N11
Builder
Cammell Laird & Co Limited, Birkenhead
Laid down
20 January 1940
Launched
18 March 1941
Commissioned
26 August 1941
Fate
Sunk 6 August 1942 (1942)
Status
Wreck

Specifications

Displacement, surfaced
1,090 long tons (1,107 t)
Displacement, submerged
1,575 long tons (1,600 t)
Length
83.82 m (275 ft)
Beam
7.92 m (26 ft)
Draught
4.97 m (16.3 ft)
Speed
15.3 knots (28.2 km/h, 17.5 mph)
Range
4,500 nmi (8,334 km)
Complement
61
Main gun
102 mm (4 in)

HMS Thorn was a British T class submarine, operated by the Royal Navy. She carried the pennant number N11. Cammell Laird & Co Limited, Birkenhead laid her keel on 20 January 1940. She entered service on 26 August 1941, having been launched on 18 March 1941.

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 1,090 long tons surfaced and 1,575 long tons submerged. She measured 83.8 m (275 ft) long with a beam of 7.9 m (26 ft). Her designed speed was 15.2 knots, and she carried a complement of 61. Her main battery was of 102 mm (4.0 in) calibre.

She was in commission for 345 days of the Second World War.

She was sunk on 6 August 1942, at 34°25′N 22°36′E. The wreck survives.

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 in torpedo tubes
  • 2 external forward-facing torpedo tubes
  • 3 external backward-facing torpedo tubes
  • 6 reload torpedoes
  • 1 x 4 inch deck gun
  • 3 anti-aircraft machine guns

Sister ships

27 more in the class

Sources

  • Facts harvested from HMS Thorn (N11) on Wikipedia. Figures only — no wording is taken from it.
  • Photograph: Stewart Bale Ltd, Liverpool — This photograph FL 4568 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums (collection no. 8308-29) — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons