View source for HMS Sportsman

{{Short description|S-class submarine built for the Royal Navy}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2013}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=HMS Sportsman.jpg
|Ship caption=''Sportsman'' at [[Sheerness]], 23 December 1942
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}}
|Ship name=''Sportsman''
|Ship ordered=14 October 1940 
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[Chatham Dockyard]]
|Ship laid down=1 July 1941 
|Ship launched=17 April 1942
|Ship christened=
|Ship commissioned=21 December 1942 
|Ship recommissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=Lent to the [[French Navy]], 8 July 1952
|Ship badge=[[File:SPORTSMAN badge-1-.jpg|left|80px]]
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=[[France]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|France|naval}}
|Ship name=''Sibylle''
|Ship namesake=[[Sibyl]]
|Ship acquired=8 July 1952
|Ship recommissioned=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship renamed=8 July 1952
|Ship struck=
|Ship fate=Sunk off Toulon, 24 September 1952
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class=[[British S-class submarine (1931)|S-class submarine]]
|Ship displacement=*{{cvt|865|LT|t}} (surfaced)
*{{convert|990|LT|t}} (submerged)
|Ship length={{cvt|217|ft|m|1}} 
|Ship beam={{cvt|23|ft|9|in|m|1}} 
|Ship draught={{cvt|14|ft|8|in|1}}
|Ship power=*{{cvt|1900|bhp|kW|lk=in|abbr=on}} (diesel)
*{{convert|1300|hp|kW|abbr=on}} (electric)
|Ship propulsion=*2 × [[diesel engine]]s
*2 × [[electric motor]]s
|Ship speed=*{{cvt|15|kn|lk=in}} (surfaced)
*{{convert|10|kn|abbr=on}} (submerged)
|Ship range={{cvt|6000|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|10|kn}} (surfaced); {{cvt|120|nmi}} at {{convert|3|kn}} (submerged)
|Ship test depth={{cvt|300|ft|1}}
|Ship complement=48
|Ship sensors=*Type 129AR or 138 [[ASDIC]]
*[[Type 291 radar|Type 291]] [[early-warning radar]]
|Ship armament=*7 × [[British 21-inch torpedo|{{cvt|21|in|mm|0}}]] [[torpedo tube]]s (6 × bow, 1 × stern)
*1 × [[QF 3-inch 20 cwt|3&nbsp;in (76&nbsp;mm)]] [[deck gun]]
*1 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|{{cvt|20|mm|1}}]] [[AA gun]]
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''HMS ''Sportsman''''' was a third-batch [[British S-class submarine (1931)|S-class submarine]] built for the [[Royal Navy]] during [[World War II]]. Completed in 1942, she spent most of the war serving in the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. After an initial patrol off Norway, she sank the heavy transport {{SS|Général Bonaparte||2}} in the Mediterranean in 1943 and missed a French [[oil tanker]]. She was heavily damaged after a [[friendly fire|mistaken attack]] by an [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] bomber, and was sent east after repairs to participate in operations in the [[Black Sea]]. After the operation was cancelled, ''Sportsman'' patrolled the [[Aegean Sea]], sending several Greek and German ships to the bottom. She sank the German transport [[SS Petrella|SS ''Petrella'']] in early 1944 despite it being clearly marked as a [[prisoner-of-war]] ship, killing 2,670 out of 3,173 Italians aboard. ''Sportsman'' sank several more ships, and suffered minor damage when she was detected and sighted while attempting to attack a convoy.

After a refit in the [[United States]], she returned to the United Kingdom where she participated in additional training for operations in the Far East. The deployment was cancelled when the war in the Pacific ended in 1945, and ''Sportsman'' was placed in reserve at [[Harwich]]. She was transferred in July 1952 to the French Navy, which renamed her ''Sibylle''. The boat was lost with all hands in a diving accident off [[Toulon]] on 24 September.

==Design and description==
The S-class submarines were designed to patrol the restricted waters of the [[North Sea]] and the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. The third batch was slightly enlarged and improved over the preceding second batch of the S-class. The submarines had a length of {{convert|217|ft|m|1}} [[length overall|overall]], a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|23|ft|9|in|m|1}} and a [[draft (ship)|draught]] of {{convert|14|ft|8|in|m|1}}. They [[displacement (ship)|displaced]] {{convert|865|LT|t}} on the surface and {{convert|990|LT|t}} submerged.<ref>Akermann, p. 341</ref> The S-class submarines had a crew of 48 officers and [[naval rating|ratings]]. They had a diving depth of {{convert|300|ft|1}}.<ref name=i7>McCartney, p. 7</ref>

For surface running, the boats were powered by two {{convert|950|bhp|lk=in|0|adj=on}} [[diesel engine]]s, each driving one [[propeller shaft]]. When submerged each propeller was driven by a {{convert|650|hp|0|adj=on}} [[electric motor]]. They could reach {{convert|15|kn|lk=in}} on the surface and {{convert|10|kn}} underwater.<ref>Bagnasco, p. 110</ref> On the surface, the third-batch submarines had a range of {{convert|6000|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|10|kn}} and {{convert|120|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|3|kn}} submerged.<ref name=i7/>

The boats were armed with seven [[British 21-inch torpedo|21-inch (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s. A half-dozen of these were in the [[Bow (watercraft)|bow]] and there was one external tube in the stern. They carried six reload torpedoes for the bow tubes for a total of thirteen torpedoes. Twelve [[naval mine|mines]] could be carried in lieu of the internally stowed torpedoes. They were also armed with a [[QF 3-inch 20 cwt|3-inch (76&nbsp;mm)]] [[deck gun]].<ref>Chesneau, pp. 51–52</ref> It is uncertain if ''Sportsman'' was completed with a [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|{{convert|20|mm|1|adj=on}} Oerlikon]] light [[AA gun]] or had one added later. The third-batch S-class boats were fitted with either a Type 129AR or 138 [[ASDIC]] system and a [[Type 291 radar|Type 291]] or 291W [[early-warning radar]].<ref>Akermann, pp. 341, 345</ref>

==Construction and career==
Ordered on 14 October 1940 as part of the 1940 Naval Programme, ''Sportsman'' was [[laid down]] on 1 July 1941 at [[Chatham Dockyard]]. She was [[ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 17 April 1942 and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 21 December that same year.<ref>Akermann, pp. 340–341</ref><ref name=uboat/> Thus far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name ''Sportsman''.<ref>Akermann, p. 348</ref>

On 22 December, the boat left Chatham and arrived at [[Sheerness]]. From 23 to 24 December, she conducted [[sea trial]]s off Sheerness, then left for [[Portsmouth]] on 25 December, arriving the next day. ''Sportsman'' conducted additional sea trials there as well as exercises until 1 January 1943. On 3 January, she left Portsmouth for [[Holy Loch]], together with the submarines [[HMS Uproar|HMS ''Uproar'']] and [[HMS Oberon (P21)|HMS ''Oberon'']], under the escort of the [[trawler (naval)|trawler]] [[HMT Unst (T213)|HMS ''Unst'']] until the armed [[yacht]] HMS ''Star of India'' took over in the morning of the 4th. Between 6 January and 13 February, ''Sportsman'' took part in training exercises around Holy Loch, along with the [[destroyer]] [[HMS Ambuscade (D38)|HMS ''Ambuscade'']] and ''Uproar''. On the 13th, the boat departed Holy Loch for [[Lerwick]], Scotland, in company with the submarines [[HMS Sea Nymph (P223)|HMS ''Sea Nymph'']] and [[HMS Truculent (P315)|HMS ''Truculent'']] and the escort of the armed yacht [[HMS Cutty Sark|HMS ''Cutty Sark'']].<ref name=uboat>{{Cite web|url=https://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3447.html|title=HMS Sportsman (P 229)|last=Helgason|first=Guðmundur|website=Allied Warships of WWII – uboat.net|access-date=8 February 2019}}</ref>

Arriving at Lerwick on 16 February 1943, ''Sportsman'' departed several hours later for her first war patrol. The boat was to protect convoy operations from and to Northern Russia. She returned to Lerwick after her uneventful patrol on 11 March. The next day, she sailed to Holy Loch, then on 18 March, to [[Greenock]] for repairs. After returning to Holy Loch, she departed for [[Gibraltar]], arriving on 12 April.<ref name=uboat/>

===Mediterranean career===
After exercises, ''Sportsman'' left Gibraltar on 18 April 1943 for her second war patrol off the Spanish coast, arriving at [[Algiers]] on the 29th. After repairs at Algiers, involving her ASDIC dome cover and a defective [[ballast tank]], the submarine left for her third war patrol in the [[Gulf of Genoa]] and [[Gulf of Lion]]. On 19 May, {{convert|40|nmi|km}} off [[Nice]], the boat sank the [[Vichy France|Vichy French]] [[passenger ship]] {{SS|Général Bonaparte||2}}, on a voyage from [[Ajaccio]], [[Corsica]] to Nice.<ref name=uboat/> There were 68 crew and 199 passengers on board, of which 137 survivors were rescued by the German [[torpedo boat]]s {{ship|German torpedo boat|TA10||2}} and {{ship|German torpedo boat|TA11||2}}.<ref name=seekrieg194305>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/seekrieg/43-05.htm |title=Seekrieg 1943, Mai |access-date=28 June 2015 |last=Rohwer |first=Jürgen |author-link=Jürgen Rohwer |author2=Gerhard Hümmelchen  |work=Württembergische Landesbibliothek Stuttgart |language=de }}</ref> A week later, on the 26th, ''Sportsman'' sighted the {{GRT|12309|disp=adj}} French [[oil tanker]] ''Marguerite Finaly'' south of [[Îles d'Hyères]] and fired six torpedoes, but all missed their target. On 28 May, she attempted to attack a German [[tugboat]] while surfaced, but the submarine's gun jammed after firing four rounds. On 2 June, she returned to Algiers, completing her third patrol.<ref name=uboat/>

''Sportsman'' left Algiers on 19 June, tasked with patrolling the Gulf of Genoa and landing two special operations agents in Italy. During the night of 27/28 June, the boat landed one agent near [[Sanremo]], but the other refused to leave the boat. On the 29th, she sighted the {{GRT|2220|link=off}} Italian merchant ship ''Bolzaneto'' and sank her with one torpedo.<ref name=seekrieg194306>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/seekrieg/43-06.htm |title=Seekrieg 1943, Juni |access-date=25 June 2015 |last=Rohwer |first=Jürgen |author-link=Jürgen Rohwer |author2=Gerhard Hümmelchen  |work=Württembergische Landesbibliothek Stuttgart |language=de }}</ref> There were 28 civilians and 8 crew members aboard, of whom 12 and 2 survived, respectively. During the night of 30 June/1 July, ''Sportsman'' landed a raiding force near [[Bordighera]], Italy, to sabotage a railway line. The attempt failed after the party could not find their target. On 1 July, the boat attacked a convoy of [[landing craft]] and small ships, but her gun jammed after five rounds. She ended her fourth patrol in Algiers on the 6th.<ref name=uboat/>

''Sportsman'' departed Algiers on 23 July after conducting anti-submarine exercises, tasked with patrolling the northern part of the [[Tyrrhenian Sea]], east of Corsica. She returned on 11 August after an uneventful patrol.<ref name=uboat/>

On 25 August, ''Sportsman'' left Algiers to conduct training exercises, and on 28 August departed for her 6th war patrol. The boat was ordered to patrol the area east of Corsica. On 6 September, she sank the Italian fishing vessels ''Angiolina P.'' and ''Maria Luisa B.'' with gunfire. After learning of the [[Armistice of Cassibile|Italian armistice]], on 9 September the boat set course for [[Bastia]], Corsica. She began an attack on a large German [[fishing trawler]], but had to dive after coastal batteries opened fire on ''Sportsman'' and her target during the [[action off Bastia]]. Three days later, she picked up 44 survivors from the Italian [[Navigatori-class destroyer]] [[Italian destroyer Ugolino Vivaldi|''Ugolino Vivaldi'']], which had been sunk by the Germans while trying to pass through the [[Strait of Bonifacio]] to reach an Allied-held port on 9 September.<ref name=uboat/>

The next day, at 04:51, ''Sportsman'' was mistakenly attacked by a [[B-24 Liberator]] of the American [[480th Bombardment Squadron]]. Seven [[depth charge]]s were dropped, one which hit the radar array, wounding one crew member, and another landed on the submarine's deck, although it was not noticed at the time. The submarine dived and, when at {{convert|25|ft|m|1}} depth, the depth charge exploded, destroying the [[bridge (nautical)|bridge]] and causing serious damage. The boat arrived at Algiers on 14 September for repairs.<ref name=uboat/>

===Aegean Sea===
After repairs and trials off Algiers, ''Sportsman'' sailed for [[Malta]] together with [[HMS Sibyl (P217)|HMS ''Sibyl'']] on 22 October 1943, arriving three days later. On 26 October, she left Malta for [[Beirut]] and arrived there on the 31st. The boat departed Beirut for [[Haifa]], on 3 November, arriving there the next day. It was planned for her to operate in the Black Sea, but the deployment was cancelled. On 6 November, ''Sportsman'' departed Haifa on her seventh war patrol, this time in the [[Aegean Sea]]. On 15 November, the boat sank the 70 GRT Greek sailing vessel ''Eleftherios V'' with gunfire north of [[Naxos]], Greece. Three days later, she fired six torpedoes at a German destroyer or torpedo boat, but all missed their target. On 20 November, ''Sportsman'' used her guns to sink the Greek ship ''Evangelistria'' off [[Suda Bay]], [[Crete]], then returned to Beirut on 24 November.<ref name=uboat/>

On 10 December, ''Sportsman'' departed Beirut on her eighth war patrol, again in the Aegean Sea. On 19 December, the submarine sank the Greek vessel ''Zora'' south of [[Lemnos Island]] with a demolition charge after the crew was taken off. Two days later, ''Sportsman'' damaged the ship ''Agios Spiridon'' in the same area. ''Sportsman'' next torpedoed and sank the 3,838 GRT Bulgarian transport ''Balkan'' south of [[Mudros]], Greece at {{Coord|39|44|N|25|16|E}} on 23 December, despite being escorted by the destroyer [[Italian destroyer Turbine (1927)|''TA-14'']], the [[minesweeper]] ''R-211'' and the [[E-boat]] ''S-54''.<ref name=Jordan445>Jordan, p. 445</ref><ref name=Seekrieg194312>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/seekrieg/43-12.htm |title=Seekrieg 1943, Dezember |access-date=26 July 2015 |last=Rohwer |first=Jürgen |author-link=Jürgen Rohwer |author2=Gerhard Hümmelchen  |work=Württembergische Landesbibliothek Stuttgart |language=de }}</ref> The submarine then ended her patrol on 30 December in Beirut.<ref name=uboat/>

''Sportsman''{{'}}s next patrol began on 30 January 1944, her third in the Aegean Sea. On 8 February, ''Sportsman'' sighted the 4,685 GRT [[German ship Petrella|German transport ''Petrella'']], en route from [[Souda]] to [[Piraeus]], and attacked it with four torpedoes at {{Coord|35|34|N|24|18|E}}<ref name=uboat/> despite its being clearly marked as a [[prisoner-of-war]] (POW) transport.<ref>Rohwer, p. 305</ref> Of the 3,173 Italian prisoners of war aboard ''Petrella'', 2,670 were killed, mostly because the German guards failed to release most of the POWs. On 13 February, ''Sportsman'' arrived at Beirut, then left the next day for [[Port Said]], Egypt, for a short refit before being sent to the [[Far East]]. On 17 March the RN decided not to send her there as she did not have an air-conditioning unit, and the boat instead departed three days for another patrol in the Aegean.<ref name=uboat/>

On 28 March, ''Sportsman'' sighted the 425 GRT German tanker ''Vienna'' and sank her with torpedoes off [[Monemvasia]], Greece, at {{Coord|36|41|N|23|03|E}}.<ref name=seekrieg194403>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/seekrieg/44-03.htm |title=Seekrieg 1944, März |access-date=3 August 2015 |last=Rohwer |first=Jürgen |author-link=Jürgen Rohwer |author2=Gerhard Hümmelchen |work=Württembergische Landesbibliothek Stuttgart |language=de }}</ref>{{refn|According to German sources, ''Vienna'' ran aground during high winds.<ref name=uboat/>}} Three days later, the submarine sank the German motor vessel ''Grauer Ort'', sailing from Monemvasia to [[Gythion]], off [[Cape Maleas]]. Eight of ''Grauer Ort''{{'}}s crew were taken as prisoners of war.<ref name=seekrieg194403>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/seekrieg/44-03.htm |title=Seekrieg 1944, März |access-date=3 August 2015 |last=Rohwer |first=Jürgen |author-link=Jürgen Rohwer |author2=Gerhard Hümmelchen |work=Württembergische Landesbibliothek Stuttgart |language=de }}</ref> ''Sportsman'' ended her tenth war patrol in Malta on 10 April.<ref name=uboat/>

Again ordered to patrol the Aegean Sea, ''Sportsman'' departed on 18 April. On 28 April, the boat sank the heavily defended, 5,809 GRT German merchant ship ''Lüneburg'' north of [[Iraklion]], Crete, at {{Coord|35|26|N|25|07|E}}<ref name=seekrieg194404>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/seekrieg/44-04.htm |title=Seekrieg 1944, April |access-date=7 August 2015 |last=Rohwer |first=Jürgen |author-link=Jürgen Rohwer |author2=Gerhard Hümmelchen |work=Württembergische Landesbibliothek Stuttgart |language=de }}</ref> and the submarine successfully evaded her escorts. On 3 May, she attempted to attack another heavily defended convoy, formed by the German cargo ships ''Gertrud'' and ''Suzanne'' and five to seven escorts. ''Sportsman'' was detected with [[sonar]] and her periscope was then spotted by one of the defending ships. The boat dived and suffered only minor damage from the subsequent depth-charge attacks, then returned to Malta after three days, ending her patrol.<ref name=uboat/>

On 25 May 1944, ''Sportsman'' departed Malta for Gibraltar, arriving on 31 May, then, after conducting training exercises, left for Holy Loch on 9 June. She arrived on 20 June, and left the next day for [[Scapa Flow]]. The submarine then sailed for [[Dundee]] on 25 June, and conducted additional training until 3 September, when she shifted to [[Blyth, Northumberland|Blyth]]. She was sent to the [[United States]] on 8 October and arrived in [[Philadelphia Navy Yard]] on 27 October for a refit. On 5 April 1945, participating in exercises off Philadelphia and [[New London, Connecticut|New London]], ''Sportsman'' set sail for the United Kingdom, escorted by the [[frigate]] [[HMCS Carlplace (K664)|HMCS ''Carlplace'']]. After a stop at [[Horta, Azores]], for fuel, ''Sportsman'' arrived at Holy Loch on 23 April, then left for Scapa Flow on 6 July. ''Sportsman'' took part in various training exercises there until she departed for [[Rothesay]] on 20 July, to be deployed in the Far East. However, this assignment was cancelled when the war in the Pacific ended in August. ''Sportsman'' was placed in reserve on 20 December at [[Harwich]].<ref name=uboat/>

===French service and loss===

{{other ships|French ship Sibylle}}

On 8 July 1952 she was lent to the French Navy, who renamed her ''Sibylle''.<ref name=uboat/> She was in service briefly, for just 11 weeks, under the command of Lieutenant de Vaisseau Gustave Curot. On 24 September 1952, ''Sibylle'' was lost with all hands off [[Toulon]] during anti-submarine exercises. After diving, ''Sibylle''{{'}}s course was followed with sonar by other ships until 8:20, but she failed to surface as expected at 9:30. Search planes from the French Admiralty found a large oil patch {{convert|6|mi|spell=in}} east of [[Cape Camarat]], in an area where the sea is {{convert|2400|ft|m}} deep. The submarine's emergency-location [[buoy]] was later found, but the cable connecting it to the boat was broken.<ref name="news">{{cite news |title=26 Sep 1952 – 48 Lost in French Submarine |pages=3 |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/18283653 |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842–1954) |access-date=13 January 2019|date=26 September 1952 }}</ref>

==Sinkings==
During her service with the Royal Navy, ''Sportsman'' sank 12 Axis ships for a total of 20,242 GRT.<ref name=uboat/><!-- I know uboat.net doesn't straight out state the number of ships sunk of the total tonnage sunk, but adding up all the different sinkings is a simple calculation and is exempt from [[WP:OR]] – see [[WP:CALC]] -->
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"|-
!Date||Name of ship||Tonnage||Nationality||Fate and location
|-
|align="right"|19 May 1943 
|align="left" |{{SS|Général Bonaparte||2}}
|align="right"|2,795
|align="left" |{{flag|Vichy France}}
|align="left" |Torpedoed and sunk at {{Coord|43|01|N|07|40|E|type:event|name=Général Bonaparte}}
|-
|align="right"|29 June 1943
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in June 1943#29 June|''Bolzaneto'']]
|align="right"|2,220
|align="left" |{{flag|Kingdom of Italy}}
|align="left" |Torpedoed and sunk at {{Coord|44|10|N|09|32|E|type:event|name=Bolzaneto}}
|-
|align="right"|6 September 1943
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in September 1943#6 September|''Angiolina P'']]
|align="right"|41
|align="left" |{{flag|Kingdom of Italy}}
|align="left" |Sunk with gunfire at {{Coord|44|10|N|09|32|E|type:event|name=Angiolina P}}
|-
|align="right"|6 September 1943
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in September 1943#6 September|''Maria Luisa B'']]
|align="right"|37
|align="left" |{{flag|Kingdom of Italy}}
|align="left" |Sunk with gunfire at {{Coord|44|10|N|09|32|E|type:event|name=Maria Luisa B}}
|-
|align="right"|15 November 1943
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in November 1943#15 November|''Eleftherios V'']]
|align="right"|70
|align="left" |{{flag|Greece}}
|align="left" |Sunk with gunfire at {{Coord|37|13|N|25|32|E|type:event|name=Eleftherios V}}
|-
|align="right"|20 November 1943
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in November 1943#20 November|''Evangelistria'']]
|align="right"|-
|align="left" |{{flag|Greece}}
|align="left" |Sunk with gunfire at {{Coord|35|33|N|24|15|E|type:event|name=Evangelistria}}
|-
|align="right"|19 December 1943
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in December 1943#19 December|''Zora'']]
|align="right"|10
|align="left" |{{flag|Greece}}
|align="left" |Sunk with demolition charges at {{Coord|39|44|N|25|06|E|type:event|name=Zora}}
|-
|align="right"|23 December 1943
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in December 1943#23 December|''Balkan'']]
|align="right"|3,838
|align="left" |{{flagcountry|Nazi Germany}}
|align="left" |Torpedoed and sunk at {{Coord|39|44|N|25|16|E|type:event|name=Balkan}}
|-
|align="right"|8 February 1944
|align="left" |[[SS Petrella|''Petrella'']]
|align="right"|4,785
|align="left" |{{flagcountry|Nazi Germany}}
|align="left" |Torpedoed and sunk at {{Coord|35|34|N|24|18|E|type:event|name=Petrella}}
|-
|align="right"|28 March 1944
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in March 1944#28 March|''Vienna'']]
|align="right"|425
|align="left" |{{flagcountry|Nazi Germany}}
|align="left" |Torpedoed and sunk at {{Coord|36|41|N|23|03|E|type:event|name=Vienna}}
|-
|align="right"|31 March 1944
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in March 1944#31 March|''Grauer Ort'']]
|align="right"|212
|align="left" |{{flagcountry|Nazi Germany}}
|align="left" |Torpedoed and sunk at {{Coord|36|38|N|23|13|E|type:event|name=Grauer Ort}}
|-
|align="right"|28 April 1944
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in April 1944#28 April|''Lüneburg'']]
|align="right"|5,809
|align="left" |{{flagcountry|Nazi Germany}}
|align="left" |Torpedoed and sunk at {{Coord|35|26|N|25|07|E|type:event|name=Lüneburg}}
|}

==Citations==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book|last=Akermann|first=Paul|title=Encyclopaedia of British Submarines 1901–1955|edition=reprint of the 1989|year=2002|publisher=Periscope Publishing|location=Penzance, Cornwall|isbn=978-1-904381-05-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Bagnasco |first=Erminio |title=Submarines of World War Two |year=1977 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=978-0-87021-962-7}} 
* {{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946|editor1-last=Chesneau|editor1-first=Roger|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=Greenwich, UK|year=1980|isbn=978-0-85177-146-5}}
* {{Cite Colledge2006}}
* {{cite book |title=The World's Merchant Fleets, 1939 |first=Roger |last=Jordan |publisher=Chatham Publishing |location=London |year=1999|isbn=978-1-86176-023-4}}
* {{cite book|last=McCartney|first=Innes|location=Oxford, UK|title=British Submarines 1939–1945|series=New Vanguard|volume=129|year=2006|publisher=Osprey|isbn=978-1-84603-007-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Rohwer|first=Jürgen|title=Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=2005|edition=Third Revised|isbn=1-59114-119-2|author-link=Jürgen Rohwer}}

==External links==
* [http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80011948 IWM Interview with Richard Gatehouse, who commanded HMS Sportsman from 1942 to 1944]
 
{{British S class submarine|others}}
{{1952 shipwrecks}}

{{coord|43|01|N|7|40|E|display=title|type:landmark_source:dewiki}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sportsman}}
[[Category:British S-class submarines (1931)]]
[[Category:Ships built in Chatham]]
[[Category:1942 ships]]
[[Category:World War II submarines of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Royal Navy ship names]]
[[Category:Saphir-class submarines (1951)]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1952]]
[[Category:Lost submarines of France]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea]]
[[Category:Submarines lost with all hands]]