Allied Warships

HMS Saga (P 257)

Submarine of the S class

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeSubmarine
ClassS 
PennantP 257 
ModFourth Group 
Built byCammell Laird Shipyard (Birkenhead, U.K.) 
Ordered7 Apr 1943 
Laid down5 Apr 1944 
Launched14 Mar 1945 
Commissioned14 Jun 1945 
End service 
History

10/2/46: HMS Saga collided with the trawler Girl Lena in the English Channel on 10 February 1946. The Girl Lena was sunk.

Transferred to the Portuguese Navy on 11 October 1948 being renamed Naultilo. Nautilio was puton the disposal List in 1969.  

Commands listed for HMS Saga (P 257)

Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

CommanderFromTo
1T/Lt. Paul Stamford Thirsk, DSC, RNR21 Mar 1945

You can help improve our commands section
Click here to Submit events/comments/updates for this vessel.
Please use this if you spot mistakes or want to improve this ships page.

Notable events involving Saga include:


The history of HMS Saga as compiled on this page is extracted from the logbooks of this submarine.

This page was last updated in October 2013.

12 Jun 1945
HMS Saga (T/Lt. P.S. Thirsk, DSC, RNR) departed her builders yard for Holy Loch. (1)

13 Jun 1945
HMS Saga (T/Lt. P.S. Thirsk, DSC, RNR) arrived at Holy Loch to begin a period of trials and training off the Scottish West coast. (1)

7 Jul 1945
HMS Saga (T/Lt. P.S. Thirsk, DSC, RNR) departed Holy Loch for Scapa Flow. (2)

8 Jul 1945
HMS Saga (T/Lt. P.S. Thirsk, DSC, RNR) arrived Scapa Flow to participate in A/S and attack exercises. (2)

11 Jul 1945
HMS Saga (T/Lt. P.S. Thirsk, DSC, RNR) conducted A/S exercises at Scapa Flow with the Dutch destroyer HrMs Van Galen (Lt.Cdr. P.A. Mulock van der Vlies Bik, RNethN).

HrMs Van Galen also conducted refuelling at sea exercises. (3)

13 Jul 1945
HrMs Van Galen (Lt.Cdr. P.A. Mulock van der Vlies Bik, RNethN) conducted gunnery exercises at Scapa flow.

These were followed by A/S exercises off Scapa Flow with HMS Saga (T/Lt. P.S. Thirsk, DSC, RNR).

Finally exercises with aircraft were carried out before HrMs Van Galen returned to Scapa Flow. (3)

18 Jul 1945
HrMs Van Galen (Lt.Cdr. P.A. Mulock van der Vlies Bik, RNethN) conducted A/S exercises at Scapa Flow with HMS Saga (T/Lt. P.S. Thirsk, DSC, RNR).

Later gunnery exercises were carried out with HMS Comet (Lt.Cdr. W.W. Fitzroy, RN). (3)

19 Jul 1945
HrMs Van Galen (Lt.Cdr. P.A. Mulock van der Vlies Bik, RNethN) and HMS Zealous (Cdr. R.F. Jessel, DSO, DSC and Bar, RN) conducted torpedo firing exercises at Scapa Flow.

HrMs Van Galen then conducted rangefinding and inclination exercise (RIX) using HMS Bellona (Capt. G.S. Tuck, DSO, RN) as target. HMS Bellona was at anchor though.

In the afternoon, HrMs Van Galen and HMS Comet (Lt.Cdr. W.W. Fitzroy, RN) conducted A/S exercises with HMS Saga (T/Lt. P.S. Thirsk, DSC, RNR). (3)

21 Jul 1945
HrMs Van Galen (Lt.Cdr. P.A. Mulock van der Vlies Bik, RNethN) conducted torpedo firing exercises at Scapa Flow during which ORP Garland (Lt. K. Hess) acted as target.

These were followed by A/S exercises together with HMS Comet (Lt.Cdr. W.W. Fitzroy, RN). The A/S target was HMS Saga (T/Lt. P.S. Thirsk, DSC, RNR).

Following the A/S exercises, HrMs Van Galen and HMS Comet conducted rangefinding and inclination exercises (RIX), AA gunnery and towing exercises. (3)

23 Jul 1945
During the morning, HrMs Van Galen (Lt.Cdr. P.A. Mulock van der Vlies Bik, RNethN) and HMS Comet (Lt.Cdr. W.W. Fitzroy, RN) conducted A/S exercises at Scapa Flow with HMS Saga (T/Lt. P.S. Thirsk, DSC, RNR). (3)

25 Jul 1945
HMS Saga (T/Lt. P.S. Thirsk, DSC, RNR) departed Scapa Flow for Holy Loch. (2)

26 Jul 1945
HMS Saga (T/Lt. P.S. Thirsk, DSC, RNR) arrived at Holy Loch to continue her work-up program.

When the war with Japan ended she was still working-up. (2)

3 Aug 1945
HMS Astute (A/Lt.Cdr. R. Gatehouse, DSC, RN) and HMS Saga (T/Lt. P.S. Thirsk, DSC, RNR) both conducted attack exercises in the Clyde area during which HMS Icarus (Cdr.(Retd.) M.W. Ewart-Wentworth, RN) served as the target. (4)

Sources

  1. ADM 173/19534
  2. ADM 173/19535
  3. File 2.12.03.1620 (Dutch Archives, The Hague, Netherlands)
  4. ADM 173/19474

ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.


Return to the Allied Warships section