*British, WW2, HM Submarine Seraph (Intelligence Sub - part of Operation Mincemeat, Man Who Never Was) – Original Photograph*
Original Wire Photograph of WW2 Submarine Seraph. This photograph originally formed part of the Lou Britton British Submarine Collection, which was acquired by the Royal Navy Submarine Museum, Gosport in 2007.
Approximate Dimensions: 20.2xm x 18cm
Stuck to the back " Pap 99319-1 "Wide" (library picture dated Oct 25, 1962). Men put aboard "Man Who Never Was" sub. Pictured here is the submarine Seraph, which, when in service with the British Royal Navy in the last WQRXXX War launched off Spain the body of a supposed Royal Marine Officer carrying false invasion papers, and which to-day is adrift of Cape Cornwall after breaking her tow rope en route from Portsmouth to breaker's yard in Swansea, South Wales. A naval helicopter today put four men aboard the drifting submarine. End Captn 99318-1. End Note Dec 16/65 JJM 1224." Stamped "17 Dec 1965."
HMS Seraph (P219) was an S-class submarine, commissioned in 1942, renowned for intelligence and special operations during World War II, most notably Operation Mincemeat. Assigned to the 8th Submarine Flotilla in the Mediterranean, she conducted covert missions supporting Operation Torch and transported high-ranking officials, including General Mark Clark (Operation Flagpole) and General Henri Giraud (Operation Kingpin).
World War II Service
Operation Torch & Flagpole (1942): Seraph performed reconnaissance off Algeria before secretly delivering General Clark for negotiations with Vichy French forces.
Operation Kingpin (1942): Disguised as a U.S. Navy submarine, she extracted General Giraud from occupied France.
Mediterranean Patrols (1942-43): Engaged in reconnaissance, troop insertions, and torpedo attacks, damaging Puccini and ramming a U-boat in December 1942.
Operation Mincemeat (1943): In a deception operation, Seraph deployed a corpse carrying fake intelligence documents off Spain, misleading German forces about Allied landings.
Sicily Invasion (1943): Acted as a guide for Allied forces.
Post-War Service & Legacy
After war patrols in the English Channel (1944), Seraph was converted into a high-speed submarine for anti-submarine warfare training. She remained in service until 1962. Notably, she appeared in the film The Man Who Never Was and is commemorated at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, where her conning tower forms a memorial to Anglo-American cooperation in WWII.
*Condition*
Excellent used condition. Please see photographs as part of the condition report.
