British Baltic Fishery Protection Service (BBFPS)

Unit Klose (S-Boats 1948 - 1956)

The British Secret Service commenced 1948 to collect information of the Sovietunion via the Baltic coast. It acquired Kapt.Lt. a.D. (LtCdr. ret.) H.H. Klose, who had gained experience about this sea area and about the attitude of Soviet naval officers during Wold War Two as Commander 2. S-Boat-Training-Flottilla. 

To accomplish this task the Royal Navy made available to him the war loot S 208. The crew he could put together at his discretion. The boat had been retrofitted in Britsh shipyards for long range operations.

S 208 under the White Ensign

In April 1949 the first operation to land agents took place. Other operations followed in November 1949 and in April 1950. 

In March 1951 the British Baltic Fishery Protection Service (BBFPS) was established. This camouflage organization got S 208 and also the war loot S 130 at its disposal. Commanding Officer of S 130 became the fist lieutenenat of S 208, Oblt.z.S. E.G. Müller. The camouflage as fishery protection permitted voyages at a regular basis on which agents were landed or embarked. At the same time the task to detect and investigate Soviet radar and communication sites with equipment the boats were espially fitted with. 

H.H. Klose with RearAdm (ret.) Wagner on the bridge of a S-boat

In February 1952 the German Ministry of Internal ordered the safety boats S 1 through S 3 for the newly established Bundesgrenzschutz See (Federal Border Force Sea). Since the planned for speed of 43 knots was in contradiction of the Potsdam Treaty which did not permit Germany to build or to operate S-boats, the construction was forbidden by the Military Security Authority (MSA) of the British Occupying Force. From spring 1953 the construction was continued for the Royal Navy.

S 208 and "Silver Gull" in one of the locks of the Kiel Kanal

The boat S 2 was commissioned under command of H.H. Klose as "Silver Gull". The boat S 1 was commissioned on 15.12.1955 as "Storm Gull" under E.G. Müller. The boat S 3 was to be commissioned under Oblt.z.S. D. Ehrhadt in early 1956. That did not happen any more, she was commissioned on 29.05.1956 as "Wildschwan" (P 6054) by the Federal German Navy (Bundesmarine).

"Storm Gull" under the White Ensign in the Baltic

On 29.05.1956 the Federal German Navy took over the boats "Silver Gull" (S 2) und "Storm Gull"  (S 1) and gave them the names "Silbermöwe" (P 6052) and "Sturmmöwe" (P 6053).

The boats S 130 and S 208  were overhauled at Fr. Lürssen shipyard and on 07.03.1957 commissioned for the Underwater Weapons School as "UW 10" followed by "UW 11" on  12.03.1957.

Whereabouts of Boats S 1 30 and S 208