SUBMARINES: CHATHAM BUILT
| List of Commanding Officers | |||
| Lt.Cmd | R.P Lonsdale | ||
HM Submarine Seal
Ordered under the 1936 building programme Seal was laid down on 9 December 1936 and launched by Mrs Danby on 27 September 1938.
The Navy first used the name Seal in 1897, the submarine Seal was the 2nd to bear this name.
Following her workup, she sailed for service on the China station. In August 1939 having arrived in Aden, she was sent to patrol and report on Italian movements in the Red Sea.
She remained operating from Aden up to October 1939 when she was ordered back to the UK, arriving in
Portsmouth on the 18th.
Ten days after arriving home Seal was sent out on her first home War Patrol. In mid November she sailed with Cachalot and Grampus
to take up duties with the Halifax Escort Force.
Seal returned on 4th January 1940 to Rosyth where she joined the 2nd Flotilla.
In April 1940 she acted as a navigational beacon for the
bombardment of Sola airfield near Stravager by the Cruiser Suffolk.
On 29th April Seal left Immingham with 50 mines. On 4th May she was spotted by aircraft and bombed without damage.
Having laid her mines, on her return she herself fell victim to a mine and sunk. The next day the crew managed to surface the boat
but with no propulsion she was an easy target for a seaplane which began a machine gun attack. Lt Cmd Lonsdale
surrendered the boat.
The seaplane piloted by a Lt Shmidt landed and took the Commanding Officer prisoner. The rest of the crew were picked up by surface vessels and the German Trawler UJ128
took Seal in tow to Friedrichshaven.
The mines that had been laid by Seal sank 4 ships
totalling 6900 tons.
Seal was refitted and on 30 November 1940 and was recommissioned UB and used for training until 1943.
In 1945 she was scuttled at Kiel. Latter she was salvaged and scrapped.
For more information on the fate of her crew use this link HM submarine Seal it is an excellent site provided by the Cavill family
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HMS/m Seal: Dockyard Movements from Launch to Completion |
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| 27/09/1938 | River to Basin | via North Lock | 16:00 |
| 08/12/1938 | Basin to River | via North Lock | 10:00 |
| 22/12/1938 | River to Basin | via South Lock | 13:10 |
| 20/03/1939 | Basin to River | via North Lock | 15:30 |
| 01/04/1939 | River to Basin | via South Lock | 10:50 |
| 23/05/1939 | Basin to South Lock | Overnight in Lock | 15:30 |
| 24/05/1939 | South Lock to River | 07:10 | |