View source for HMS Sickle

{{Short description|British S-class submarine}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2017}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=HMS Sickle.jpg
|Ship caption=''Sickle'' on the surface
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}}
|Ship name=''Sickle''
|Ship ordered=2 September 1940
|Ship namesake=[[Sickle]]
|Ship builder=[[Cammell Laird]], [[Birkenhead]]
|Ship laid down=8 May 1941
|Ship launched=27 August 1942
|Ship christened=
|Ship commissioned=1 December 1942
|Ship recommissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship renamed=
|Ship reclassified=
|Ship refit=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship fate=Sunk in June 1944, probably by mines
|Ship badge=[[File:SICKLE badge-1-.jpg|left|80px]]
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class=[[British S-class submarine (1931)|S-class submarine]]
|Ship displacement=* {{cvt|865|LT|t}} (surfaced)
* {{convert|990|LT|t}} (submerged)
|Ship length={{cvt|217|ft|m|1}}
|Ship beam={{cvt|23|ft|9|in|m|1}}
|Ship draught={{cvt|14|ft|8|in|1}}
|Ship power=* {{cvt|1900|bhp|kW|lk=in|abbr=on}} (diesel)
* {{convert|1300|hp|kW|abbr=on}} (electric)
|Ship propulsion=* 2 × [[diesel engine]]s
* 2 × [[electric motor]]s
|Ship speed=* {{cvt|15|kn|lk=in}} (surfaced)
* {{convert|10|kn|abbr=on}} (submerged)
|Ship range={{cvt|6000|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|10|kn}} (surfaced); {{cvt|120|nmi}} at {{convert|3|kn}} (submerged)
|Ship test depth={{cvt|300|ft|1}}
|Ship complement=48
|Ship sensors=* Type 129AR or 138 [[ASDIC]]
* [[Type 291 radar|Type 291]] [[early-warning radar]]
|Ship armament=* 7 × [[British 21-inch torpedo|{{cvt|21|in|mm|0}}]] [[torpedo tube]]s (6 × bow, 1 × stern)
* 1 × [[QF 3-inch 20 cwt|3&nbsp;in (76&nbsp;mm)]] [[deck gun]]
* 1 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|{{cvt|20|mm|1}}]] [[AA gun]]
}}
|}
'''HMS ''Sickle''''' was a third-batch [[British S-class submarine (1931)|S-class submarine]] built for the [[Royal Navy]] during [[World War II]]. Completed in 1942, she made her initial war patrol off the Norwegian coast. ''Sickle'' then sailed to [[Gibraltar]], from where she conducted one patrol, then to [[Algiers]], [[French North Africa]]. From 10 May to 10 October, the boat patrolled the [[Gulf of Genoa]] five times and sank a German submarine as well as three [[minesweeper]]s and an [[escort ship]]. She then moved to [[Beirut]], [[French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon|French Lebanon]], and conducted two patrols in the [[Aegean Sea]], sinking three [[caïque]]s and a merchant ship, in addition to landing resistance operatives in Greece.

On her second patrol from Beirut, ''Sickle''{{'}}s [[electric motor]]s were damaged during an attack by two [[destroyer]]s, so she sailed to Gibraltar for repairs. Several months later, the boat returned to service and conducted two patrols in the Aegean, sinking another three caïques, a sailing vessel, and a merchant ship. On 31 May 1944, ''Sickle'' departed [[Malta]] for a patrol in the Aegean and did not return. It is considered probable that she hit [[naval mine|mines]] on her way back to Malta around 16–18 June 1944.

==Design and description==
[[File:British S-class submarine schematic drawing.jpg|thumb|350px|left|Schematic drawing of a S-class submarine]]
The S-class submarines were designed to patrol the restricted waters of the [[North Sea]] and the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. The third batch was slightly enlarged and improved over the preceding second batch of the S class. The submarines had a length of {{convert|217|ft|m|1}} [[length overall|overall]], a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|23|ft|9|in|m|1}} and a [[draft (ship)|draught]] of {{convert|14|ft|8|in|m|1}}. They [[displacement (ship)|displaced]] {{convert|865|LT|t}} on the surface and {{convert|990|LT|t}} submerged.<ref>Akermann, p. 341</ref> The S-class submarines had a crew of 48 officers and [[naval rating|ratings]]. They had a diving depth of {{convert|300|ft|0}}.<ref name=i7>McCartney, p. 7</ref>

For surface running, the boats were powered by two {{convert|950|bhp|lk=in|0|adj=on}} [[diesel engine]]s, each driving one [[propeller shaft]]. When submerged each propeller was driven by a {{convert|650|hp|0|adj=on}} [[electric motor]]. They could reach {{convert|15|kn|lk=in}} on the surface and {{convert|10|kn}} underwater.<ref>Bagnasco, p. 110</ref> On the surface, the third-batch boats had a range of {{convert|6000|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|10|kn}} and {{convert|120|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|3|kn}} submerged.<ref name=i7/>

The boats were armed with seven [[British 21 inch torpedo|21-inch (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s. Six of these were in the bow, and one external tube was mounted in the stern. They carried six reload torpedoes for the bow tubes for a total of thirteen torpedoes. Twelve [[naval mine|mines]] could be carried in lieu of the internally stowed torpedoes. They were also armed with a [[QF 3-inch 20 cwt|3-inch (76&nbsp;mm)]] [[deck gun]].<ref>Chesneau, pp. 51–52</ref> It is uncertain if ''Sickle'' was completed with a [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|{{convert|20|mm|1|adj=on}} Oerlikon]] light [[AA gun]] or had one added later. The third-batch S-class boats were fitted with either a Type 129AR or 138 [[ASDIC]] system and a [[Type 291 radar|Type 291]] or 291W [[early-warning radar]].<ref>Akermann, pp. 341, 345</ref>

==Construction and career==
HMS ''Sickle'' was a third-group [[British S-class submarine (1931)|S-class submarine]] and was ordered by the [[British Admiralty]] on 2 September 1940. She was [[laid down]] in the [[Cammell Laird]] [[shipyard]] in [[Birkenhead]] on 8 May 1941 and [[ship launching|launched]] on 27 August 1942.<ref name=Akermann340>Akermann, p. 340</ref> On 28 November 1942, the boat, under the command of [[Lieutenant (Royal Navy)|Lieutenant]] James Drummond, sailed to [[Holy Loch]], where she was [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] into the Royal Navy three days later.<ref name=Akermann340/><ref name=uboat>[https://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3442.html HMS ''Sickle'' (P 224)], Uboat.net</ref> Thus far, ''Sickle'' has been the only ship to bear the name in the Royal Navy.<ref>Akermann, p. 348</ref>

Between 11 and 31 January 1943, she conducted a war patrol off Norway, but sighted only another British submarine, {{HMS|Trident|N52|6}}. ''Sickle'' then sailed from Great Britain to Gibraltar on 6 April, with orders to intercept the Italian blockade runner ''Himalaya'' which was thought to be in the vicinity. ''Himalaya'' had stayed in port and the submarine proceeded on to Gibraltar as planned.<ref name=uboat/>

On 18 April 1943, she departed harbour to conduct a patrol off [[Valencia]], Spain. Five days later, the boat sighted the Italian merchant ship ''Mauro Croce'' and fired two torpedoes; the torpedoes ran under the ship, so ''Sickle'' surfaced to use her deck gun. However, after firing 19 rounds and scoring several hits, her gun jammed and she had to break off the attack. The submarine ended her patrol in Algiers on 27 April.<ref name=uboat/>

===Algiers===
''Sickle'' departed Algiers to patrol off southern France on 10 May 1943. After five days at sea, she attacked a German convoy south of [[Nice]], France, and sank the German [[submarine chaser]] ''UJ-2213'' which had been painted to appear like an [[oil tanker]].<ref name=seekrieg194305>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/seekrieg/43-05.htm |title=Seekrieg 1943, Mai |access-date=22 June 2015 |last=Rohwer |first=Jürgen |author-link=Jürgen Rohwer |author2=Gerhard Hümmelchen  |work=Württembergische Landesbibliothek Stuttgart |language=de }}</ref> The boat next attacked the {{GS|U-755}} with torpedoes on 20 May,<ref name=Jones160>Jones, p. 160</ref> but missed; ''U-755'' was sunk eight days later by aircraft.<ref name=Tomblin126>Tomblin, p. 126</ref> The next day, ''Sickle'' attacked the {{GS|U-303}} off [[Toulon]] and hit it with two torpedoes; ''U-303'' sank in half a minute.<ref>Niestle, p. XXVI</ref><ref name=Tomblin126/><ref name=Jones160/><ref>Akermann, p. 351</ref> She then returned to Algiers on 25 May. After leaving on her next patrol on 16 June, ''Sickle'' unsuccessfully attacked an enemy submarine on 18 June, then returned to port on 1 July.<ref name=uboat/>

[[File:Lieutenant J R Drummond.jpg|thumb|left|''Sickle''{{'}}s [[captain (nautical)|captain]] Lieutenant James Drummond]]
On 13 July 1943, the boat departed Algiers to patrol in the Gulf of Genoa and east of [[Corsica]]. Four days later, ''Sickle'' fired three torpedoes at an Italian convoy without success. On 18 July, she sank with gunfire two Italian minesweepers, ''No. G.61'' and ''No. R.164'', east of [[Gorgona (Italy)|Gorgona]], Italy. The next day, she sank another Italian minesweeper, ''V 131'', off [[Porto-Vecchio]], Corsica. ''Sickle'' next attacked the Italian merchant ship ''Alfredo Oriani'' with seven torpedoes; two hit, but the ship did not sink and was towed back to port. The submarine also missed the German oil tanker ''Champagne'' on 22 July, then returned to Algiers on 28 July. Drummond was awarded the [[Distinguished Service Order]] at the end of this patrol.<ref name=uboat/>

She began a new patrol on 17 August, operating east of Corsica. After patrolling for eleven days, ''Sickle'' torpedoed and sank the German escort ship {{ship|German escort ship|SG-10||2}}, which was escorting a convoy. ''Sickle'' then ended her patrol on 5 September.<ref name=uboat/>

On 22 September, ''Sickle'' left Algiers to patrol the Gulf of Genoa in the same area as in her previous patrol. In the evening of 28 September, the submarine landed two men near [[Sestri Levante]], Italy; their mission was to gather intelligence as well as organize resistance movements and escapes of Allied prisoners of war to Switzerland. On 30 September and 3 October, ''Sickle'' attacked a small [[coastal trading vessel]] and a submarine chaser with three torpedoes each, missing with all six. The boat then returned to Algiers on 10 October.<ref name=uboat/>

===Beirut===
Between 25 October and 1 November, ''Sickle'' sailed from Algiers to Beirut, in Allied-occupied [[Lebanon]], then shifted to [[Haifa]]. On 11 November, the boat departed Haifa to conduct a war patrol in the [[Aegean Sea]]. ''Sickle'' first sank with gunfire the Greek [[caïque]] ''Maria (MY 153)'' west of [[Amorgos]], then torpedoed and sank the Italian merchant ship ''Giovanni Boccaccio'' off [[Monemvasia]], two days later.<ref>Jordan, p. 532</ref> She next sank with gunfire two [[sailing vessel]]s near [[Milos]]; these were the Greek caïques ''Piraeus no. 795'' and ''Samos no. 45''. The boat returned to Beirut on 25 November.<ref name=uboat/>

[[File:Destroyer Turbine in navigation.jpg|thumb|The German [[torpedo boat]] ''TA14'', which damaged ''Sickle'' with [[depth charge]]s on 21 December 1943]]
On 13 December, ''Sickle'' departed Beirut for another war patrol in the Aegean and attempted to attack a German convoy on 20 December. The next day, her [[periscope]] was sighted while looking into the harbour at [[Karlovasi]], and she was attacked with [[depth charge]]s by the German torpedo boats [[Italian destroyer Turbine (1927)#In German service|''TA14'']] and [[Italian destroyer Francesco Crispi|''TA15'']]; ''Sickle'' sustained significant damage, especially to her electric motors. On 23 December, the submarine landed four [[Special Operations Executive]] Greek resistance men in Kalomos Bay, east of [[Euboea]]. Three days later, she sank with gunfire and by ramming two small unidentified Greek sailing vessels east of [[Mykonos Island]]; the crews of both ships were picked up by ''Sickle''. The boat ended her patrol on 2 January 1944.<ref name=uboat/>

===Malta===
From 14 to 19 January, ''Sickle'' sailed to Malta, then to Gibraltar. There, she underwent repairs to her electric motors until 14 April, when she returned to Malta.<ref name=uboat/>

On 29 April, ''Sickle'' departed Malta to patrol in the Aegean Sea, where she sighted a German transport escorted by three destroyers, but lost sight of them in the fog on 7 May. The next day, the boat sank three Greek sailing vessels with [[demolition charge]]s and by ramming in the [[Doro Channel]]. She initially attacked them on the surface with her deck gun, but it jammed after firing four rounds, so ''Sickle'' boarded the first ship, a caïque flying the Greek flag with the German occupation [[pennon]]. The ship was carrying a cargo of oranges and lemons, and sailors from ''Sickle'' brought a thousand of these to their submarine as an addition to their diet, then holed the caïque's hull, sinking it.<ref name=uboat/><!-- special cite for DYK rules - will remove once hook has gone off the Main Page--> The next two ships did not carry any salvageable cargo, and ''Sickle'' sank one with demolition charges and the other by ramming. On 11 May, ''Sickle'' surfaced and bombarded an enemy [[radar station]] with her three-inch deck gun; 17 rounds hit their target but the enemy returned fire four minutes later, wounding three men, including ''Sickle''{{'}}s [[captain (nautical)|captain]] and forcing her to submerge. Shortly after midnight on 13 May, the boat surfaced and sank the German sailing vessel ''Fratelli Corrao'' with gunfire. Two days later, she returned to Malta.<ref name=uboat/>

On 31 May, ''Sickle'' left Malta harbour for a patrol in the Aegean Sea; this was to be ''Sickle''{{'}}s last patrol. On 4 June, she engaged enemy ships on the surface at [[Mytilene]]; two sailors were wounded, one killed, and another washed overboard and captured. This man later became ''Sickle''{{'}}s only survivor. She was ordered on 5 June to patrol the eastern approach to the Doro channel. On 6 June, the submarine torpedoed and sank the German merchant ship ''Reaumur'', and on 7 June a German [[Lighter (barge)|lighter]] reported having been missed by torpedoes potentially launched by ''Sickle''. On 8 June, a submarine that was possibly ''Sickle'' sank three caïques near [[Skopelos]], and she missed the German transport ''Lola'' with torpedoes on 9 June. A submarine, again possibly ''Sickle'', sank the caïque ''Efitichia'' with gunfire and bombarded a shipyard at Mytilene on 14 June 1944. The submarine was never seen again, and it is considered likely that she was sunk by mines on her way back to Malta in the [[Kythira Strait]] on or around 18 June.<ref name=uboat/><ref name=Heden245>Heden, pp. 244–245</ref><ref>Akermann, p. 108</ref>

==Summary of raiding history==
During her service with the Royal Navy, ''Sickle'' sank 10 Axis ships for a total of {{GRT|7,665}} as well as a German U-boat, three caïques and a sailing vessel of unknown tonnage.<ref name=uboat/><!-- I know uboat.net doesn't straight out state the number of ships sunk of the total tonnage sunk, but adding up all the different sinkings is a simple calculation and is exempt from [[WP:OR]] - see [[WP:CALC]] -->
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"|-
!Date||Name of ship||Tonnage||Nationality||Fate and location
|-
|align="right"|15 May 1943
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in May 1943#15 May|''UJ-2213'']]
|align="right"|1,116
|align="left" |{{flag|Nazi Germany}}
|align="left" |Torpedoed and sank at {{Coord|43|25|N|07|25|E|type:event|name=UJ-2213}}
|-
|align="right"|21 May 1943
|align="left" |{{GS|U-303}}
|align="right"|-
|align="left" |{{flag|Nazi Germany}}
|align="left" |Torpedoed and sank at {{Coord|43|00|N|05|59|E|type:event|name=U-303}}
|-
|align="right"|18 July 1943
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in July 1943#18 July|''No. G.61'']]
|align="right"|100
|align="left" |{{flag|Kingdom of Italy}}
|align="left" |Sunk with gunfire at {{Coord|43|24|N|10|03|E|type:event|name=No. G.61}}
|-
|align="right"|18 July 1943
|align="left" |''No. R.164''
|align="right"|39
|align="left" |{{flag|Kingdom of Italy}}
|align="left" |Sunk with gunfire at {{Coord|43|24|N|10|03|E|type:event|name=No. R.164}}
|-
|align="right"|19 July 1943
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in July 1943#19 July|''V 131'']]
|align="right"|65
|align="left" |{{flag|Kingdom of Italy}}
|align="left" |Sunk with gunfire at {{Coord|43|24|N|10|03|E|type:event|name=V 131}}
|-
|align="right"|28 August 1943
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in August 1943#28 August|''SG-10'']]
|align="right"|2,526
|align="left" |{{flag|Nazi Germany}}
|align="left" |Torpedoed and sunk at {{Coord|42|24|N|09|41|E|type:event|name=SG-10}}
|-
|align="right"|17 November 1943
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in November 1943#17 November|''Maria (MY 153)'']]
|align="right"|-
|align="left" |{{flag|Kingdom of Greece}}
|align="left" |Sunk with gunfire west of [[Amorgos]], Greece
|-
|align="right"|19 November 1943
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in November 1943#19 November|''Giovanni Boccaccio'']]
|align="right"|3,160
|align="left" |{{flag|Nazi Germany}}
|align="left" |Torpedoed and sunk off [[Monemvasia]], Greece
|-
|align="right"|25 November 1943
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in November 1943#25 November|''Piraeus no. 795'']]
|align="right"|-
|align="left" |{{flag|Kingdom of Greece}}
|align="left" |Sunk with gunfire at {{Coord|37|22|N|24|15|E|type:event|name=Piraeus no. 795}}
|-
|align="right"|25 November 1943
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in November 1943#25 November|''Samos no. 45'']]
|align="right"|-
|align="left" |{{flag|Kingdom of Greece}}
|align="left" |Sunk with gunfire at {{Coord|37|22|N|24|15|E|type:event|name=Samos no. 45}}
|-
|align="right"|26 December 1943
|align="left" |unidentified
|align="right"|-
|align="left" |{{flag|Kingdom of Greece}}
|align="left" |Sunk with gunfire and ramming east of [[Mykonos]], Greece
|-
|align="right"|26 December 1943
|align="left" |unidentified
|align="right"|-
|align="left" |{{flag|Kingdom of Greece}}
|align="left" |Sunk with gunfire and ramming east of Mykonos, Greece
|-
|align="right"|8 May 1944
|align="left" |unidentified
|align="right"|50
|align="left" |{{flag|Kingdom of Greece}}
|align="left" |Sunk by a boarding party in the [[Doro Channel]], Greece
|-
|align="right"|8 May 1944
|align="left" |unidentified
|align="right"|40
|align="left" |{{flag|Kingdom of Greece}}
|align="left" |Sunk by demolition charges in the Doro Channel, Greece
|-
|align="right"|8 May 1944
|align="left" |unidentified
|align="right"|20
|align="left" |{{flag|Kingdom of Greece}}
|align="left" |Sunk by ramming in the Doro Channel, Greece
|-
|align="right"|13 May 1944
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in May 1944#13 May|''Fratelli Corrao'']]
|align="right"|-
|align="left" |{{flag|Nazi Germany}}
|align="left" |Sunk with gunfire at {{Coord|35|55|N|25|02|E|type:event|name=Fratelli Corrao}}
|-
|align="right"|6 June 1944
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in June 1944#6 June|''Reaumur'']]
|align="right"|549
|align="left" |{{flag|Nazi Germany}}
|align="left" |Torpedoed and sank at {{Coord|38|00|N|24|35|E|type:event|name=Reaumur}}
|}

==Citations==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book|last=Akermann|first=Paul|title=Encyclopaedia of British Submarines 1901–1955|edition=reprint of the 1989|year=2002|publisher=Periscope Publishing|location=Penzance, Cornwall|isbn=978-1-904381-05-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Bagnasco |first=Erminio |title=Submarines of World War Two |year=1977 |publisher=[[Naval Institute Press]] |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=978-0-87021-962-7}}
* {{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946|editor1-last=Chesneau|editor1-first=Roger|publisher=[[Conway Maritime Press]]|location=Greenwich, UK|year=1980|isbn=978-0-85177-146-5}}
* {{Cite Colledge2006}}
* {{cite book |title=Sunken Ships, World War II: U.S. Naval Chronology Including Submarine Losses of the United States, England, Germany, Japan, Italy|first=Karl Eric|last=Heden|publisher=Branden Books |location=History Reference Center|year=2006|isbn=0828321183}}
* {{cite book|last=Jones|first=Geoffrey Patrick|title=The Month of the Lost U-Boats|year=1977|publisher=Kimber|isbn=0718302052}}
* {{cite book |title=The World's Merchant Fleets, 1939: The Particulars and Wartime Fates of 6,000 Ships |first=Roger |last=Jordan |publisher=[[Chatham Publishing]] |location=London |year=1999 |isbn=1-86176-023-X}}
* {{cite book|last=McCartney|first=Innes|author-link=Innes McCartney|location=Oxford, UK|title=British Submarines 1939–1945|series=New Vanguard|volume=129|year=2006|publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]]|isbn=978-1-84603-007-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Niestle|first=Alex|title=German U-Boat Losses During World War II: Details of Destruction|year=2014|publisher=Frontline Books|isbn=978-1-473838-29-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Tomblin|first=Barbara|title=With Utmost Spirit: Allied Naval Operations in the Mediterranean, 1942-1945|year=2004|publisher=[[University Press of Kentucky]]|isbn=0813123380}}

{{British S class submarine}}
{{June 1944 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sickle (P224)}}
[[Category:British S-class submarines (1931)]]
[[Category:Missing submarines of World War II]]
[[Category:1942 ships]]
[[Category:World War II submarines of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Lost submarines of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Ships built on the River Mersey]]
[[Category:Submarines lost with all hands]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in June 1944]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by mines]]