HMS Sirdar was an S-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during World War II, specifically part of the Third Group of that class. Launched on 26 March 1943 by Scotts of Greenock, she measured 217 feet (66.1 meters) in length, with a beam of 23 feet 9 inches (7.2 meters) and a draught of 14 feet 8 inches (4.5 meters). She displaced 865 long tons (879 tonnes) on the surface and 990 long tons (1,010 tonnes) submerged. The vessel was crewed by 48 officers and ratings, and was capable of diving to depths of 300 feet (91.4 meters). Powered by two 950-brake-horsepower diesel engines for surface propulsion and two 650-horsepower electric motors for submerged operation, Sirdar could reach speeds of 15 knots on the surface and 10 knots underwater. Her range was 6,000 nautical miles at 10 knots on the surface, with a submerged range of 120 nautical miles at 3 knots. Armament included seven 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes—six at the bow and one at the stern—carrying a total of thirteen torpedoes, with an alternative load of twelve mines instead of torpedoes. She was also equipped with a 3-inch (76 mm) deck gun, though it is uncertain if she was fitted with a 20 mm Oerlikon AA gun initially or later. During her service, Sirdar operated primarily in the Pacific Far East, where she sank two Japanese coasters, two sailing vessels, two unidentified vessels, and the Japanese guard boat Kaiyo Maru No.5, while damaging another coaster with gunfire. Notably, in 1943, she made an involuntary dive to over 380 feet during an exercise when she became uncontrollable, becoming briefly stuck on the muddy bottom before surfacing. Post-war, Sirdar continued service, including participation in the 1951 search for the missing HMS Affray. She experienced a capsizing incident in 1953 when floodwaters caused her dry dock at Sheerness to flood during the North Sea flood, but she was later refloated and returned to service. Eventually, Sirdar was sold for scrap, arriving at McLellen yards on 31 May 1965 for dismantling. Her operational history and resilience highlight her significance as a wartime and post-war submarine of the Royal Navy.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.