Inside Britain's Last Surviving Second World War-Era Submarine | HMS Alliance
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 พ.ค. 2024
- HMS Alliance is a Royal Navy A-class, Amphion-class or Acheron-class submarine, laid down towards the end of the Second World War and completed in 1947.
Over her 28-year career, she held the world record for longest dive by a submarine, staying immersed for 30 days, in 1947, served during the Cold War, and was retired in 1973. The submarine is the only surviving example of the class, having been a memorial and museum ship since 1981.
In this video, submarine veteran Commodore Eric Thompson gives Dan Snow a tour of beautiful submarine, which is now preserved at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport.
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Please, for the love of our history, let this man tell us his stories. Let us hear them, uninterrupted, before his knowledge is lost, and the lessons lost with him.
Well said mate 👉❗👈
I just realized that Commodore Thompson has to be around 70 years old when this was filmed. Which is amazing because from looking at him moving around i would have guessed he was maybe 50 years old.
Honestly an amazing guide you got for this video. His anecdotes made the whole tour even more interesting.
Depends how old he was when he joined the RN, if he joined as a middy at 17 he could be as young as 54, but that would be young for a Commodore
@@GrahamWalters how did you get "54" out of that? He said he was serving on the submarine in 1969/70. That's already 51 to 52 years in the past. Unless he joined the Navy at an impressive age of 2 that would be impossible.
He mentions he was bought into this world in the last months of Ww2. So DOB is ~1945.
He has a wealth of knowledge. Love to chat with him!
Navy veterans either die early within a few years of retirement or live forever.
He was born in November 1943!
Dan Snow, three tips for interviewers:
a) Let the person you're interviewing speak. That's what makes a video interesting. Not you.
b) Don't shout. There's no need for it.
c) Close your mouth when you're not talking.
Thank you Eric for a very interesting and knowledgeable tour, I'm motivated to pay a visit on the back of watching your tour.
😂😂😂😂
Dan really blasted through this guys stories and switched the subject very fast. Slow down mate, we’re here to listen and learn.
Time limits play a big part - you don't get long to film these things, got to cover as much as possible in the time you've got. That means sadly that long stories need to be kept short
I came here to make the same comment. Dan rudely cut him off whenever he was saying something interesting.
Yeah but he was dull..
I work in the engine room on merchant ships..all he.s talking about im one step ahead...😁 .. I been on steamers and diesels...gasturbine ...rule of thumb always open one valve befor you close another😁always interesting to watch.. Old mariners Surface or pigboat guys
If anyone is interested, there is a podcast called Cold War Conversations. Eric features in episode 162.
You can see so many times where Eric is about to tell a story only to be interrupted by the interviewer, I am not sure if there was tight time restrictions but it would have been nice to hear more from him
I noticed that too, and I imagine Dan was doing it because they were on a really tight time schedule. Probably they were given an hour by the museum to do the whole thing and as a seasoned presenter, Dan has to try and keep his guests to point or risk not finishing the tour. I think it would be great to get Eric back on camera when time constraints are less pressing so he can get into much deeper anecdotes.
It must be frustrating for everyone involved, tight time schedules mean you can only get the odd snippets, whereas I could listen to this gentleman talk for several days. Seems like a lovely man.
I like Dan Snow usually but this was not done well. I think the guy had a slight speech hesitation that Dan seemed to try and power through.
Time limits will be the answer. Dan isn’t usually rushed in his videos.
I had the same impression so downloaded his Book on Kindle - believe me the stories he was about to tell are fascinating and also at times very funny.
This video could have been 3 hours long and I would have watched every second of it. This guy had some fascinating stories and such an excellent way of presenting them. Its a shame they were short on time.
I served on the USS Bremerton (SSN-698) as a nuclear trained electrician. It took two years of training before I even saw a submarine. It takes approximately one more year after arriving on the boat to become fully qualified as both a nuclear plant operator and earning your dolphins as a qualified submariner. I spent four years on the sub (total of six years) and achieved the rank of EM1(SS) before leaving the navy at the end of my enlistment.
IMO, if you enlist in the Navy, going to submarines is the best option if you have to go to sea on a naval vessel. Best training. Best food. Best crew members. Best port calls. Extra pay. Rapid advancement. No seasickness. Small crew (approx. 120). The only drawback is while at sea, you cannot go topside and see the sun and when you go to sea, you can be underwater for months at a time. The limiting factor for how long you stay at sea is how much food you can carry. They generally go to sea with a 90 day food supply. The longest I ever stayed underwater in one shot was 77 days.
Just to add, I was a qualified dolphin submariner in the early 70's . Best part of my life. "Diesel boats forever" Nothing but good memories, we even had a mini bar aboard for when in port, plus a beer machine.
How does it feel to be hidden from the world so so long, I imagine I’d enjoy that feeling
E-Div works their ass off!
@@nonoaidnono I loved being at sea, when I was single that is. USS Louisville SSN 724.
I visited USS Bremerton while she was in Diago GARCIA at the same time as HMS/M Triumph. I've still got a baseball cap I was given by one of the guys.
Please, more videos with the Commodore! I love his enthusiasm to share information and little stories
Loved Commodore Thompson's perspective on human waste disposal. I was a nuclear power electrician on a U.S. fast attack in the 1970's. Human waste disposal was a constant topic and often a source of wonderful humor. Here is a story....
One time when we pulled into port and shut down the reactor I was standing the shutdown reactor operator watch and my friend Jack was the engineering roving watch. He came to maneuvering, where I was, and told me he was going to blow number 3 sanitary, a 300 gallon tank blistered on the hull in engine room lower level. After 20 minutes or so I hear this very loud open throat-ed roar. Thinking we have water coming in the boat I grab the flood control actuators to shut all the engine room hull valves. Jack appears with a huge grin and told me he just blew number 3 inboard. Ha! I asked why. Turns out he couldn't get it to go overboard. He checked his valve line up multiple times and all was in order. So he increased the air pressure. No go. Finally he maxed out the air pressure. So he had a problem. 300 gallons under full pressure. What to do. He opened the 4 inch manual ball valve on the bottom of the commode, shut the head door, and cycled the 4 inch hydraulic ball valve just above number 3. Given the huge pressure, 300 gallons quickly exited number 3, blew open the door on the head, and soiled the aft engine room. Some of it drilled handily through the cracks between the little doors covering storage bins that we only accessed when we needed a spare. So years later we'ed open that bin and there would be this dry, brown spider web. Jack was legend. He cheerfully did the substantial clean up.
In the confines of a submarine that must have stank!
Blow Sanitaries and vent inboard. Those charcoal filters never worked. Worse if your watch station was near one.
I visited the submarine museum while on active duty with the US Navy when stationed on USS Seahorse (SSN 669) during a port call. The old diesel boats are neat to look over. As to the comment on how submariners feel about surface dwellers, we had the same thoughts, "there are only 2 types of ships, submarines and targets". MM1(SS) USN retired.
Did you know anyone from the service that served on diesel electric and nuclear boats? If so, did they ever mention how they missed the old deisels or were ever nostalgic about them?
wh-do they seriously feel that way? because I'm a navy brat and my dad served on carriers when he was at sea, the U.S.S. Enterprise (CVN-65) and U.S.S. George H.W. Bush. and he would tell me that submarines were pretty worthy adversaries...although an aircraft carrier could beat a submarine in a heartbeat in my opinion lol
The Thoroughbred of the Fleet.
@@oceangalaxy2738 A surface ship is a target for the opposing navy's submarines. That's what they mean. A sub is for more likely to avoid detection by the enemy.
@@oceangalaxy2738 Tell that to the Swedes , they " sank . An American carrier twice on exercise withone of their subs .
I've just read Commodore Erics book - thoroughly brilliant read about the really interesting career of a man who in his first few months at sea was at the point of being kicked out and eventually became a flag officer, a leader of 4000 people, an MBE for leading the team that averted potentially the first nuclear disaster on a Polaris boat, and also put forward so many ideas that are now standard doctrine. A fascinating man.
I forgotten I had his book. Just read it again so many great stories in it.
I was on the Polaris boat he got the MBE for and took part in that incident. Very interesting and a bit scary. A great MEO. No more said.
@@dougproctor6933 I'm sorry I can't seem to find online what an mbe is or the polaris program would you give me a quick rundown if possible
@@Ebbeebbeee He was the Officer in charge of the repair and was awarded the MBE (Member of the British Empire) medal for his actions in successfully completing the deterrent patrol. Our mission was to stay submerged and undetected and, as the Marine Engineering Officer, his actions enabled this to happen. Basically, he got the medal for the team and I was proud to have been involved in that incident. We were on a Polaris patrol at the time.
@@dougproctor6933 thank you for explaining
Commodore Thompson defines the word "expert" in every way.
This takes me back to my own time as a junior officer, hearing seniors tell tales of their experiences. Totally riveting. No pretension, no sensationalism, just real stories of their trials and tribulations. More like this, please!
Twenty eight minutes and fifty seven seconds of bliss......full length, unrushed, documentary would be great.
Seems like one of those guys who could talk for days and still deliver gem after gem of lived first hand experience on these things. A true expert and enthusiast. Such a shame this video could be 10x as long! I also get the impression the reporter here didn't really do much justice to this clearly brilliant man and just wanted to hammer on his questions and romanticise the whole thing.
I came from the west of Ireland to visit this, I had a brilliant time
Wow! I could listen to Commodore Eric all day!
Commodore Thompson is such a great guy, could’ve listened to him all day top stuff.
Just found this. Absolutely fascinated by Subs since a kid. This is my brother-in-law's boat. He was a baby sailor, then Merchant Marine, immigrated to NZ and then on Tugs. Nothing beats Wellington Harbour at midnight on a mirror flat sea, pulling a container ship out under afull moon! Wonderful memory. HMS Alliance visit is on my bucket list as are others.
The Commodore is EXTREMELY interesting! I would love to see an entire video dedicated to him telling his war stories. Very entertaining.
I could have watched a 28 minutes video with the Commodore in each compartment - description of how each system worked would be amazing!
Submariners saying, "There are only two types of sea going vessel........Submarines and targets"
My father served on the HMS Artimis which was a sister ship to the alliance, i took him to walk though this for fathers days around 6 years ago.
It was funny as he gave us a inside tour guide and by the end of the tour most of the group was listening to him
Small world, I served on board HMCS Rainbow (sub) an old diesel boat in the early 70,s . One of our buddies was PO. Bill Howatson . He served on the "A" boats as a Canadian exchange sailor. A good friend and nice man.
Absolutely fascinating. I could listen to him all day.
I love the human element of having an experienced submariner explaining life onboard. It's easy to get caught up in the machine, and forget that humans operate it, and all humans poop...
We had a fire on one of the ships I sailed in when I worked with the RCN. Getting toilet facilities running was major health issue, as we had nearly 300 people onboard, and no working heads.
What an extraordinary gentleman. The stories and the knowledge he has on submarines is second to none. I’m working in the area, will have to visit it tomorrow.
What a fantastic guest and guide. Very knowledgeable, I feel I could sit with him in the legion and listen to his stories forever!
I could never be in such tight quarters for 1,2,3, 4 weeks or longer. You had to be a special person to serve aboard a ww2 submarine.
Brings back memories of HMS/M Walrus and HMS/M Oracle on which I served during the Cold War.
Couldnt have picked a more knowledgeable man
Well worth a visit!
I was there several years ago and the ship looks better now than it did then!
If Commodore Eric Thompson is there you are in for a treat, also at Gosport sub museum was a very early example of a submersible vessel that you could have fitted in HMS Alliance about ten times over and it had a very few crew members and dates from the very early submarine days. Hopefully still there on show.
Thanks for this and well done Dan as usual.
Love Eric’s descriptions and read one of his books. Seems like he had a lot more to say! Follow up video!?
What a fascinating chap. One could listen to all the anecdotal stories re 'The Trade' all day long.
I had a relative sunk on probably the predecessor to that boat in the Med during WWII. Sadly he never made it.
Really looking forward to going to that museum though.
Could listen to this man all day! What wonderful knowledge and a lovely man! Thank you!
I would like to hear more about Commodore Eric Thompsons experiences in "boats" and the engineering behind it all. Thanks for a great video!!
In 1972 as 3 years old I visited a Danish submarine in dock for repairs in Copenhagen. It still remember the cramped long narrow space and all the handles and controls everywhere, it looked not much different from this one. My granddad worked on the place. It was my father who had the interest, but he wasn't allowed in (restricted military area). I was so little that I couldn't be a Soviet spy so I was allowed.
Very interesting. Great to have someone with this level of experience to provide an in depth tour.
Eric Thompson was my MEO on HMS/M REVENGE (P) back in the 70s. I'm sure he'll remember my best friend and best man Bungy Mcwilliams and the big steam leak fiasco.
His book "on her majesty's nuclear service" opens with the steam leak event.
Bungy is, of course, given due credit for his actions.
@@andrewthompson8610
I was forward killick at the time of the steam leak, but spent time as lower level stoker with Bungy Mac on Revenge. Names such as Blackie, Jacko, Chris Pearce, Brum Connelly, Ram Murdoch, Ken Glover, Jimmy Green, Mac Mcdonagh, Dave Curtis, big Herman Faulkner, big Brigham young and Beasty Beale to name but a few.
He was best man at my wedding so I was extremely upset by his tragic passing. Great times with great guys, some sadly missed.
I was on there for that as well as POMA. All those names are still familiar, even after all this time. Great bunch of blokes!
@@dougproctor6933 Yes I remember you Doctor Proctor👍happy times back in the 70s. So sad about my bezzy oppo Bungy Mac.
@@mikewood866 Certainly was Mike. That was an interesting incident. There is a board in the Submarine Museum on that event. I work there as a volunteer guide so see it quite often! Hope you're keeping well.
What a brilliant artefact! I love visiting the sub museum and the historic dockyard, though I haven’t been in a while due to the whole thing.
Good to see the old Alliance again. I served on the Oberon class boats based at Dolphin and went aboard the Alliance a couple of times.
The O boats were more advanced and their design was heavily influenced by the German type VII boats as German submarine technology was more advanced. It's a shame that there isn't an O boat at the museum too, though there are a couple at other bases. The Ocelot is at Chatham.
I'd like to see you do a similar video of her.
One as a museum piece in Valdivia Chile. The Chilean Navy bought 2 Oberons
Weren't the "O" boats influenced more by the German type XX1's.? I have visited both U995, a type V11c at Laboe, and the type XX1 U2540 "Wilhelm Bauer" at Bremerhaven. HMS Alliance looked really "old fashioned" compared to the XX1, whilst the "O" boat at Chatham, HMS Ocelot, was very similar.
All were a wonderful experience to visit, and the HMS Alliance in particular was very interesting as the tour was led by a WW2 veteran, who was then in his mid 80's, and he was extremely well versed.
He had spent a lot of time on the "U" and "T" boats out of Malta, and had some really fascinating stories to tell.
Amazing there! I only live 1/2 a mile away from it and see the beauty everyday on my way to work.
Could speak to this guy for weeks
This was an amazing interview…submariners are very unique fellows.
The Commodore, what a great bloke………🖖👌
I was born, raised and still live in Gosport. I pass this daily.
This channel along with a handful of others are my favorites on youtube.
I absolutely adore military history.
Commander Thompson, thank you for your service and the great knowledge which you gave to us during your submarine tour by way of this video.
'We're out of torpedoes sir.'
'Never mind. Hit 'em with eight cans of beer.'
Fascinating. Commodore Thompson really brought being in a. submarine to life.
Visited her a couple of years ago, absolutely brilliant tour. I think they should have HMS Conqueror as an exhibit as well
I think she is still alongside at Devonport awaiting de-commissioning. HMS Courageous is there with her, and is open to the public on specified days. Well worth a visit.
An enjoyable tour through a British RN diesel electric Submarine. Dan Snow has presented many a worthwhile documentary covering a wide range of topics but none better (subjectively speaking) than this one here as we tour the inside of HMS Alliance.
I've been in it. My grandfather was a Chief Petty officer in the Royal Navy. He and my Grandmother lived in Gosport where this is.
Brilliant! Thank you!
....severely underrated video!
This man knows his stuff. And, he's not shy about touching the wares. He knows who he is. Thank you, sir. ;-)
According to my research, Dan Snow (the host) is a healthy 6’6”. He is 5” taller than me and about a foot taller than the average crew member of a submarine back then... Talk about watching your head!
very relaxed and enjoyable. He is one of those people you could happily sit and listen to for ages, hearing all his stories and things. Hillarious point to end on. 🙂
My Grand uncle Bill started out flying a Bi-plane, and finished his career in a Lightening. It was an amazing generation to live through i feel, we have not seen progress at that speed for many years.
Very informative and certainly educational. Absolute Marvel ENGINEERING! U boats inside are a maze of comp,ex pipes, valves, cables etc...........fantastic.
What a fascinating tour. I'm glad you let the Commodore talk on, he is like my elderly neighbour, could go on for hours, so needing the occasional reminder to jumps ahead lol.
Thank you for the Tour.
Brilliant. What a guy. So much knowledge and completely engaging.
HMS Andrew starred in the film "On The Beach". It played the part of an American Submarine that sailed into Melbourne, Australia, after a nuclear exchange in the northern hemisphere. Also staring HMAS Sydney.
What an incredible man, and a great interview. If only paid TV was as good! Thank you!
That was absolutely fascinating and the Commodore was a very intelligent and entertaining man…
Absolutely gorgeous boat! Until watching this, I wasn't aware that there was still a British Second World War era (design) sub still in existence! My knowledge of the Royal Navy submarine service during the War is very limited / almost nil as the exploits of the Kriegsmarine U-boats are a subject that I'm far more familiar with. The control room on this boat looks quite a bit bigger than the control room of a German Type 9, but it looks to be an incredibly similar layout in there!
You might enjoy a book about the exploits of HMS TRENCHANT, which sank the Japanese heavy cruiser ASHIGARA in one of the finest attacks of WW2. 'HMS Trenchant: From Chatham to Banka Strait', by Arthur Hezlet (the CO), is very good, having a terrific mix of design, build, training, 'life' and operational action.
@@well-blazeredman6187 Thank You for the recommendation, I'll see if I can get hold of a copy to add to my mountain of books in the queue waiting to be read LOL.
Did you look into Dutch submarines? They gave the British about 9 during the war. The other 8 went to service in Asia. They sank a few German and Japanese's subs but mostly Japanese ships. Their commodore was called ship a day Helfrich.
I could listen to his stories and info all day long
The A class boats, after their refits, were absolutely gorgeous boats. As were the Porpoise and Oberons.
Beautifully preserved boat...such an interesting man, Commodore Thompson.
A Con Rod connects the Piston to the the Crankshaft. The Push Rods push the rockers (the exposed rockers in this case) which open and close the valves. Great presentation on the sub.
My grandfather served on this out in Singapore
My uncle was Alliance cook. There was food stashed everywhere at the beginning of a voyage.
What a great guy. Could have listened way more of his stories
Now that was fascinating. Many thanks.
Great tour and interview. What a pleasent and knowledgeable guide.
What a video! Absolutely superb as ever.
Fascinating , what a wealth of knowledge.
Caught me off guard when he mentioned Whipp and Borune from Rochdale (Castleton) I live a stones throw away in Heywood and golf in Castleton.
Absolute class video - Ill just bought Thompsons book, looking forward to the read.
I naval reserves in the early 90's (serving on the river class minesweepers) and we used to have problems with the females flushing their sanitary towels down the head. They usually jammed the blades that minced up the waste before it was deposited in the 'domestic services' tank. The stokers would have to dismantle the mechanism and clean it by hand. That usually resulted in them coming into the junior rate's mess and asking 'who does this belong to then'? as they held the troublesome item aloft.
Worth the trip out of Portsmouth. Also - if you time it right- there is a scuba diving museum in Gosport.
0:33 The museum isn't in Portsmouth, it's just over the water in neighbouring Gosport.
We(Gosport) never get a mention it's always portsmouth 🙄 lol
Wow... amazing interview with a great and so knowledgeable guy. Thanks!
How fascinating was that, well explained Mr Thompson
Absolutely fascinating stuff from an absolutely fascinating commodore
25:50 “you can fire from both ends” yeah Dan I had a stomach bug like that once
I visited hms alliance late 80s as a primary school kid, but never really took it in - I'm now disabled, so can't access it; thankfully this is a good substitute. I spent years sailing out of the joint services sailing centre which is literally in the shadow of the submarine
This is brilliant, glad to hear a engineer going through all the details of the systems
Absolutely fascinating.
thank you dan ma man! and commodore thompson thank you !
mad buggers...more courage in their finger nails than in my whole aged body... We will remember them.
Could listern to this intresting chap all day , well done sir
I was stationed on board three of the Trident II Ohio Class submarines when I served in the U.S. Navy. USS Kentucky SSBN 737 (Blue, ISS West Virginia SSBN 736 (Gold) and the USS Wyoming SSBN 742 (Gold). My rate was a Missile Technician on those boats. The last two of those boats I was the Missile Technician Division Leading Petty Officer on the West Virginia and Wyoming but then became the Weapons Department Leading Petty Officer my last two patrols on the Wyoming. I did 20 years in the Navy and spent 12 years attached to submarines and spent 6 years 3 to 4 months at a time under water.
so good, thank you
Fascinating Insight into a Submariners life in the Cold War. Particularly interesting to me as I spent the 1960's in the RAF on the V Bomber force.
This is amazing
That's about right wouldn't expect a Commodore to know the difference between a con rod and a push rod
Lovely and informative video, surprised how similar WWII British and Germany submarines were in layout design.
Awesome insight
Excellent video
I worked on the building of two class subs from 1959
Then two polaris subs and a hunter/killer later