THE NAVAL CONNECTION
While carrying out research for future pages for my website I came across references to two navy vessels that have a connection with Scouting, not only through their names but also their crest and motto.
The two vessels are HMS Scout a S type Destroyer and HMS Sea Scout a S type Submarine. Both these vessels were named in honour of Baden Powell and carried a crest that incorporated the Scout fleur de lys and had the motto Be Prepared .
The information below on each vessels is what I have been able to find out through Internet searches and information on HMS Sea Scout.kindly supplied by the Royal Submarine Museum
HMS SEA SCOUT
HMS Sea Scout was a “S” type Submarine, caring the number P253, built by Cammell Laird and Co Ltd, Birkenhead, in April 1943 and launched in March 1944 and commissioned in May of the same year. Her Motto was be “Be Prepared” and she carried a crest of a fleur de lys gold charged on the outer petals with a mullet blue.
HMS Sea Scout spent most of her wartime career in the Far East, where she sank numerous Japanese ships, including twelve sailing vessels, two coasters, two unidentified vessels, a sampan, a patrol vessel and a tug with five barges. After the war she returned to Portsmouth where she was transferred from active list to reserve list and between 1948 and 1953.
During the following years HMS Sea Scout was took part in number of exercises until 1962 when she was prepared for disposal being de-equipped in 1963 ready for sale finally in December 1965 HMS Sea Scout was disposed off and sold has scrap
HMS SCOUT
HMS Scout from my research is slightly different in that it was the 12th Royal Navy Vessel to carry the Name “Scout” the first being in 1577 and previously for a cruiser sold in 1904.
HMS Scout a “S” Class Destroyer, carrying the number H51, ordered from John Brown of Clydebank with the 11th Order of the 1917-18 build programme, built in April 1917. The ship was laid down on 25th October 1917 and launched on 27th April 1918. Her motto was Be Prepared and she carried a crest, which by it’s description sounds if it was much the same has that of Sea Scout except for the wording “Scout” instead of “Sea Scout”
During the inter-war years she was deployed in the Mediterranean and after 1928 went to the China Station. She was still serving there when war with Germany was declared in September 1939.
Following a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in December 1941 she was adopted by the civil community of Leatherhead. Surrey.
HMS Scout sailed for UK in December 1945 and on arrival was placed on the Disposal List. The ship was sold for breaking-up at Briton Ferry by T W Ward on 11th February 1946 and arrived there in tow on 2nd March 1946 for demolition
