View source for HMS Terrapin

{{short description|Royal Navy T class submarine in service 1944-1945}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2017}}
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{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=HMS Terrapin.jpg
|Ship caption=HMS ''Terrapin''
}}
{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}}
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|Ship builder=[[Vickers Armstrong]], [[Barrow-in-Furness|Barrow]]
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|Ship laid down=19 October 1942
|Ship launched=31 August 1943
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|Ship commissioned=22 January 1944
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|Ship fate=Damaged by depth charges, scrapped June 1946
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|Ship badge=[[File:TERRAPIN badge-1-.jpg|90px]]
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Header caption=
|Ship class=[[British T class submarine]]
|Ship type=
|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}}
|Ship height=
|Ship draught=*{{convert|12|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on}} forward
*{{convert|14|ft|7|in|m|abbr=on}} aft
|Ship power=
|Ship propulsion=*Two shafts
*Twin diesel engines 2,500 hp (1.86 MW) each
*Twin electric motors 1,450 hp (1.08 MW) each
|Ship speed=*15.5 knots (28.7 km/h) surfaced
*9 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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|Ship armament=*6 internal forward-facing [[British 21 inch torpedo|21 inch (533 mm)]] torpedo tubes
*2 external forward-facing torpedo tubes
*2 external amidships rear-facing torpedo tubes
*1 external rear-facing torpedo tubes
*6 reload torpedoes
*[[QF 4 inch naval gun Mk IV, XII, XXII|QF 4 inch (100 mm)]] deck gun
*3 anti aircraft machine guns
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'''HMS ''Terrapin''''' was a British [[submarine]] of the third group of the [[British T class submarine|''T'' class]]. She was built as ''P323'' by [[Vickers Armstrong]], [[Barrow-in-Furness|Barrow]]  and launched on 31 August 1943.  So far she has been the only ship of the [[Royal Navy]] to bear the name ''Terrapin'', after the [[Terrapin|animal of that name]]. Apart from a brief period in home waters off the Scandinavian coast, ''Terrapin'' served in the Far East for much of her wartime career.

==Service==

Though only commissioned on 22 January 1944, she had a comparatively active career. In March 1944 she attacked a German convoy off [[Flekkefjord]], Norway, torpedoing and damaging the German catapult ship {{MS|Schwabenland|1925|2}}, and the German tanker ''Wörth'' (the former Dutch ''Omala''). The ''Schwabenland'' was grounded at Sildeneset in Abelnes harbour to prevent her from sinking and the ''Wörth'' was towed to port.

''Terrapin'' was then assigned to the Pacific Far East in mid 1944. She opened her career by bombarding Japanese installations at Gunung Sitoli (Nias Island), western Sumatra. She also sank a Japanese coaster with gunfire and damaged another.  She went on to sink the Japanese auxiliary netlayer ''Kumano Maru'', the Japanese minesweeper ''W 5'', and ten Japanese sailing vessels, damaging another.

''Terrapin'' often operated with [[HMS Trenchant (P331)|HMS ''Trenchant'']], and together they sank the Japanese tanker ''Yaei Maru No.6'', the Japanese auxiliary minesweeper ''Reisui Maru'', the Japanese submarine chaser ''Ch 8'', a fishing vessel and seven coasters. ''Terrapin'' herself sank another small craft with gunfire.

''Terrapin'' was damaged on 19 May 1945 by depth charges from Japanese escort vessels while attacking an escorted tanker. With the assistance of the American submarine [[USS Cavalla (SS-244)|USS ''Cavalla'']], she was escorted and returned to [[Fremantle]], Australia. After inspection ''Terrapin'' was declared a constructive total loss on return to harbour and was later scrapped in June 1946.<ref>[http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3520.html HMS Terrapin], 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 }}

{{T class submarine}}
{{May 1945 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Terrapin (P323)}}
[[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:Lost submarines of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Cold War submarines of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in May 1945]]