HMS Syrtis

Syrtis in April 1943
History
United Kingdom
Name	Syrtis
Namesake	Syrtis Major Planum
Ordered	25 January 1941
Builder	Cammell Laird, Birkenhead
Laid down	14 October 1941
Launched	4 February 1943
Commissioned	23 April 1943
Fate	Sunk, March 1944
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	S-class submarine
Displacement	865 long tons (879 t) (surfaced) 990 long tons (1,010 t) (submerged)
Length	217 ft (66.1 m)
Beam	23 ft 9 in (7.2 m)
Draught	14 ft 8 in (4.5 m)
Installed power	1,900 bhp (1,400 kW) (diesel) 1,300 hp (970 kW) (electric)
Propulsion	2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
Speed	15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph) (surfaced) 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) (submerged)
Range	6,000 nmi (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) (surfaced); 120 nmi (220 km; 140 mi) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) (submerged)
Test depth	300 ft (91.4 m)
Complement	48
Sensors and processing systems	Type 129AR or 138 ASDIC Type 291 early-warning radar
Armament	7 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes (6 × bow, 1 × stern) 1 × 3 in (76 mm) deck gun 1 × 20 mm (0.8 in) AA gun

HMS Syrtis was a third-batch S-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Completed in 1943, Syrtis spent most of her career in the Arctic, off Norway, other than a single patrol in the Bay of Biscay,

On her first patrol, she sighted a German submarine, but could not attack it. Her second patrol saw the submarine board a Vichy French fishing vessel. Syrtis was then assigned to take part in Operation Source, an attack on the German battleships based in Norway, using midget submarines. The boat was to tow the submarine X9 to her target, then release it to perform its mission. However, the tow line between the two submarines parted en route, and X9 was lost with all hands.

Syrtis went on to conduct three patrols off Norway, but these were uneventful. On 16 March, the submarine started another patrol in the Arctic, and sank one Norwegian merchant ship. She never returned, and was most probably sunk by mines.