HMS Excalibur
HMS Excalibur (S40) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | |
| Name | Excalibur |
| Ordered | 26 August 1947 |
| Builder | Vickers Armstrong |
| Launched | 25 February 1955 |
| Completed | 22 February 1958 |
| Identification | Pennant number: S40 |
| Nickname(s) | The Excruciator |
| Fate | Scrapped, 1968 |
| Notes | Built at a cost of £1,142,000 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Explorer-class submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 178 ft (54 m) |
| Beam | 15 ft 8 in (4.78 m) |
| Draught | 11 ft (3.4 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph) (submerged) |
| Complement | 41 |
| Armament | None |
HMS Excalibur was an Explorer-class submarine, the sister ship of HMS Explorer, the two submarines being the only high-test peroxide (HTP) powered submarines to be constructed for the Royal Navy. She is the only commissioned ship in the Royal Navy to be named as such, in honour of the sword of Arthurian legend. In 2025, the Royal Navy christened a non-commissioned uncrewed submarine of the same name into service for the purpose of testing unmanned underwater systems.