HMS Snapper was a second-batch S-class submarine built for the Royal Navy in the 1930s, representing an evolution of earlier designs with improvements in size and capabilities. Constructed at HM Dockyard, Chatham, she was laid down on September 18, 1933, launched on October 25, 1934, and completed by June 14, 1935. The vessel measured 208 feet 8 inches (63.6 meters) in length, with a beam of 24 feet (7.3 meters) and a mean draught of 11 feet 10 inches (3.6 meters). She displaced 768 long tons (780 tons) on the surface and 960 long tons (980 tons) submerged. Designed for operations primarily in the North and Baltic Seas, HMS Snapper had a crew of around 40 officers and ratings and could dive to depths of 300 feet (91.4 meters). Powered by two 775-horsepower diesel engines for surface travel and electric motors for submerged propulsion, she could reach a maximum speed of 13.75 knots on the surface and 10 knots underwater. Her operational range was extensive, with 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km) at 10 knots when surfaced. Armament included six 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes in the bow, with six reloads giving her a total of twelve torpedoes, as well as a 3-inch (76 mm) deck gun. During her service in World War II, HMS Snapper primarily operated in home waters, sinking several German and Norwegian vessels, including the small German oil tanker Moonsund, the merchant Florida, auxiliary minesweepers M 1701 / H. M. Behrens and M 1702 / Carsten Janssen, the armed trawler V 1107 / Portland, and the Norwegian merchant Cygnus. She also engaged the German armed merchant cruiser Widder, though her torpedoes missed. In early 1941, HMS Snapper departed the Clyde for patrols in the Bay of Biscay but failed to return from her mission. It is believed she was lost either to a mine or was depth-charged and sunk by German minesweepers M-2, M-13, and M-25 near Ouessant, France, with all 41 crew members lost. Her loss marked the end of her notable service during the war, and she remains a significant example of the S-class submarines' role in maritime warfare.

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