View source for HMS Tantalus (P318)

{{short description|Submarine of the Royal Navy}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2017}}
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{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=HMS Tantalus.jpg
|Ship caption=HMS ''Tantalus'' in Plymouth Sound in August 1948
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{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}}
|Ship name=HMS ''Tantalus''
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|Ship builder=[[Vickers Armstrong]], [[Barrow-in-Furness|Barrow]]
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|Ship laid down=6 June 1942
|Ship launched=24 February 1943
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|Ship commissioned=2 June 1943
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|Ship identification=[[Pennant number]] P318
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|Ship fate=Scrapped in November 1950
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|Ship badge=[[File:TANTALUS badge-1-.jpg|left|100px]]
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Ship class=[[British T class submarine]]
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|Ship displacement=*1,290 [[long ton|ton]]s surfaced
*1,560 tons submerged
|Ship length={{convert|276|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|25|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}
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|Ship draught=*{{convert|12|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on}} forward
*{{convert|14|ft|7|in|m|abbr=on}} aft
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|Ship propulsion=*Two shafts
*Twin diesel engines 2,500 hp (1.86 MW) each
*Twin electric motors 1,450 hp (1.08 MW) each
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|Ship speed=*15.5 knots (28.7 km/h) surfaced
*nine knots (20 km/h) submerged
|Ship range=4,500 nautical miles at 11 knots (8,330 km at 20 km/h) surfaced
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|Ship test depth={{convert|300|ft|m|abbr=on}} max
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|Ship complement=61
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*Six internal forward-facing [[British 21 inch torpedo|{{convert|21|in|mm|adj=on|0}}]] [[torpedo tube]]s
*two external forward-facing torpedo tubes
*two external amidships rear-facing torpedo tubes
*one external rear-facing torpedo tubes
*six reload torpedoes
*1 x [[QF 4 inch naval gun Mk IV, XII, XXII|{{convert|4|inch|mm|adj=on|0}} deck gun]]
*three anti-aircraft machine guns
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'''HMS ''Tantalus''''' was a British [[submarine]] of the third group of the [[British T class submarine|''T'' class]]. She was built as ''P318'' by [[Vickers Armstrong]], [[Barrow-in-Furness|Barrow]], and launched on 24 February 1943. So far she has been the only ship of the [[Royal Navy]] to bear the name ''Tantalus'', after the mythological [[Tantalus]], son of [[Zeus]].

==Service==
''Tantalus'' served in the Far East for much of her wartime career. She sank the [[Malaysia]]n tug ''Kampung Besar'', and the Malaysian ''Pulo Salanama'' in April 1944; she went on to sink the [[Imperial Japanese Army|Japanese army]] cargo ships ''Amagi Maru'' and ''Hiyoshi Maru'', the Japanese cargo ship ''Hachijin Maru'', the Japanese coaster ''Palang Maru'', the Japanese fishing vessel ''Taisei Maru No. 12'', a Japanese tug and three barges, an unknown Japanese vessel, and a Siamese sailing vessel, whilst claiming to have damaged a second. ''Tantalus'' also damaged a tug and the Japanese submarine chaser ''Ch 1''. She also attacked, but missed the [[Imperial Japanese Navy|Japanese submarine]] ''[[Japanese submarine I-166|I-166]]'', which was sunk later that day by [[HMS Telemachus (P321)|HMS ''Telemachus'']].

''Tantalus'' survived the war and continued in service with the Royal Navy, finally being scrapped at Milford Haven in November 1950.<ref>[http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3517.html HMS Tantalus], Uboat.net</ref>

==References==
<references />
* {{Cite Colledge2006}}
* {{cite book | last = Hutchinson | first = Robert | title = Jane's Submarines: War Beneath the Waves from 1776 to the Present Day | url = https://archive.org/details/janessubmarinesw0000hutc | url-access = registration | year = 2001 | location = [[London]] | publisher = [[HarperCollins]] | isbn = 978-0-00-710558-8 | oclc = 53783010 }}

==External links==
* [http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80011488 IWM Interview with Hugh Mackenzie, who commanded HMS ''Tantalus'' from 1943 to 1945]

{{T class submarine}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tantalus (P318)}}
[[Category:British T-class submarines of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:Ships built in Barrow-in-Furness]]
[[Category:1943 ships]]
[[Category:World War II submarines of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Cold War submarines of the United Kingdom]]


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