HMS Rorqual (S02) was a Porpoise-class submarine launched in 1956. She was built by the Vickers shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. The boat was named for both the Rorqual whale and the earlier World War II era submarine of the same name. The Porpoise class was an eight-boat class of diesel-electric submarines of the Royal Navy. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd (VSEL) is based at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. ... Barrow-in-Furness is a town in Cumbria, England. ... Cumbria (IPA: ), created in 1974, is a county in the North West region of England. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area... Genera Balaenoptera Megaptera Rorquals are the largest group of baleen whales, with nine species in two genera. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

In 1958, Rorqual experienced a fire. In 1963, she was caught in a trawler's net. An explosion in 1966 killed two crew members and injured twenty; Rorqual was off the cost of Mozambique en route to Singapore. In 1969, Rorqual rammed a moored minesweeper, USS Endurance (MSO-435) while docking at River Point pier in Subic Bay, Philippines. The collision punched a large hole in Endurance's hull but did not damage Rorqual. 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ... USS Pivot (AM 276) World War II United States Admirable Class Minesweeper shown in the Gulf of Mexico on sea trials 12 July 1944 Image:Hameln Class. ...

Rorqual won the SOCA Efficiency trophy in 1973. 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ...

From 1968 to 1970, Rorqual was commanded by Lieutenant-Commander Gavin Menzies. Menzies became famous after his retirement for publishing the controversial book 1421: The Year China Discovered America. Menzies' book asserted that ships from the Chinese fleet of admiral Zheng He traveled to the Americas prior to Columbus' arrival in 1492 and circumnavigated the globe a century before Magellan. 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... In the Royal Navy, United States Navy and United States Coast Guard, a lieutenant commander (lieutenant-commander or Lt Cdr in the RN) is a commissioned officer superior to a lieutenant and inferior to a commander. ... Gavin Menzies Gavin Menzies (b. ... Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. ... Zheng He[1] (1371–1433), was a Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat and fleet admiral, who made the voyages collectively referred to as the travels of Eunuch Sanbao to the Western Ocean (Chinese: 三保太監下西洋) or Zheng He to the Western Ocean, from 1405 to 1433. ... World map showing the Americas CIA political map of the Americas The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World consisting of the continents of North America[1] and South America with their associated islands and regions. ... Christopher Columbus (1451 – May 20, 1506) was a navigator and maritime explorer credited as the discoverer of the Americas. ... Not to be confused with 1492: Conquest of Paradise. ... To circumnavigate a place, such as an island, a continent, or the Earth, is to travel all the way around it by boat or ship. ... Ferdinand Magellan, see Ferdinand Magellan Railcar. ...

Rorqual was broken up in 1977. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...

References

• J. J. Colledge, Ships of the Royal Navy, Greenhill Books, 1987.

James J. Colledge was a noted naval historian, author of Ships of the Royal Navy, the standard work on the fighting ships of the British Royal Navy from the 15th century to the 20th century. ... Ships of the Royal Navy by J. J. Colledge is a historical reference work providing brief entries on all recorded ships in commission in the Royal Navy from the 15th century, giving location of constructions, date of launch, tonnage, specification and fate. ...

External links

• Battleships-Cruisers.co.uk's page of photographs of Porpoise Class submarines
• Submariners Association -- Post-war Submarines
• List of submarine incidents at sea