HMS Seal (N37)

HMS Seal in 1939
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Seal
Builder	Chatham Dockyard
Laid down	9 December 1936
Launched	27 September 1938
Commissioned	28 January 1939
Captured	by Nazi Germany on 5 May 1940
Badge
Service record as HMS Seal
Commanders:	LtCdr Rupert Lonsdale 28 January 1939 – 5 May 1940
Victories:	None
Nazi Germany
Name	UB
Acquired	5 May 1940
Commissioned	30 November 1940
Decommissioned	31 July 1941
Fate	Scuttled on 3 May 1945 at 54°22′N 10°11′E / 54.367°N 10.183°E / 54.367; 10.183
Service record as UB
Identification codes:	M 15 950
Commanders:	F.Kapt. Bruno Mahn[1] 30 November 1940 – 31 July 1941
Operations:	None
Victories:	None
General characteristics
Class and type	Grampus-class submarine
Displacement	1,810 long tons (1,840 t) surfaced 2,157 long tons (2,192 t) submerged
Length	293 ft (89.31 m) o/a
Beam	25 ft 6 in (7.77 m)
Draught	16 ft 10 in (5.13 m)
Propulsion	2 shaft 3,300 hp (2,500 kW) (diesels) 1,630 hp (1,220 kW) (electric)
Speed	15.75 knots (29.17 km/h; 18.12 mph) surfaced 8.75 knots (16.21 km/h; 10.07 mph) submerged
Range	6,500 nmi (12,000 km; 7,500 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Test depth	200 ft (61 m)
Complement	59 (British) 4 officers, 43 enlisted men (German)
Armament	6 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes (bow) 12 torpedoes 1 × 4 in (10 cm)/40 QF Mk XII deck gun 50 mines

HMS Seal was one of six Grampus-class mine-laying submarines of the Royal Navy. She served in the Second World War and was captured by the Kriegsmarine and taken into German service as UB, one of several captured subs. She was the only submarine the Germans captured at sea during World War II. Her capture allowed the Germans to correct a critical fault in their U-boat torpedoes.^[2]

Seal was laid down at the Chatham Dockyard on 9 December 1936, launched on 27 September 1938 and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 28 January 1939. During her entire British career, her commander was Rupert Lonsdale, for whom it was his second command.