An item reported that on 25 February the submarine Excalibur (1) was to be launched at Barrow-in-Furness which was build by Vickers Armstrong. She was a sister ship of the HMS Explorer (2) the first British submarine using hydrogen peroxide as fuel. The British Admiralty announced that these submarines were fitted out with diesel electro engines and turbines using diesel dissolved in hydrogen peroxide.
Notes
1. Her building was ordered on 26 August 1947, she was launched on 25 February 1955, completed on 22 February three years later and broken up in 1968.
2. Explorer, building ordered on 26 August 1947, launched on 3 May 1954, baptized on 28 November 1956 and broken up in February 1965. With a displacement of 780 (surfaced)-1,000 (submerged) tons were her dimensions 178’ x 15’8” x 11’or 54 x 4,78 x 3,4 metres. The German U-1407 using high test peroxide as fuel served as a base for her design. She was disarmed being an experimental design mend for trials. While submerged the steam turbines driven by the high test peroxide allowed a speed of 25 knots. Her crew numbered 41 men. She and her sister ship were no success and nicknamed as Excruciator and Exploder caused by the problems with the experimental fuel.
