WW-JanFeb 2022 issue.qxp_Pages-12-40-JanFeb WPD 06/01/2022 12:19 Page 46
HISTORY
David Hill
The Sidon Incident
HMS Sidon portside in 1952.
HMS Sidon shortly after the explosion.
D
uring the latter stages of the Second World War German naval engineers, under the guidance of Dr Helmut Walther, developed a revolutionary new propulsion system for their submarines. The system incorporated a fuel called High Test Peroxide and it enabled a submarine to travel underwater at high speed and independent of an external air supply. The system worked so several experimental U-boats were constructed using this new form of underwater propulsion. However, the fuel was extremely volatile which resulted in numerous accidents and was not liked by the crews of the submarines. It also came too late in the war to give the Germans any tactical advantage. Furthermore, the technology fell into the hands of the Allies as the German naval construction yards were overrun in the advance on Berlin.
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HMS Sidon after being salvaged.
After the war the Royal Navy launched two submarines, HMS Explorer and HMS Excalibur both of which used High Test Peroxide as their main power source, but with the advent of nuclear propulsion the technology was abandoned. However, what is not well known is that the Royal Navy in the 1950s experimented with High Test Peroxide engines to power some of their experimental torpedos. Explosion on Sidon On June 16th 1955 five submarines moored alongside the Depot Ship HMS Maidstone in Portland harbour. One of the vessels was HMS Sidon, an S-class submarine built by Camell Laird and launched in September 1944. HMS Sidon was originally completed with a 4” gun forward of the conning tower and a 20mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft mounting aft. Her gun armament had been removed after the war and like the other vessels in the group,
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the superstructure and casing had been modified giving her a more streamlined appearance. At 0820 several of the submarines, including HMS Sidon prepared to cast off and head out to sea for a torpedo firing exercise. The torpedos onboard the Sidon that day were Mk 12s - these were converted Mk 8s fitted with High Test Peroxide motors. After the war, the Royal Navy had been impressed with the performance of the experimental German torpedos, and it was these torpedos that were being tested that day. HMS Springer, a sister ship of the Sidon cast off and got underway. HMS Sidon would be the next to depart but five minutes later the sound of a muffled thud was heard by the crew of HMS Maidstone followed almost immediately by the shrill sound of alarm bells. It very quickly became apparent that an explosion had occurred onboard the Sidon.
