Special Boat Service

The Special Boat Service (SBS) is the British Royal Navy's and Royal Marines? Special Forces unit. The service's motto is Not by Strength, By Guile. It forms part of the United Kingdom Special Forces, alongside the Special Air Service (SAS) and the Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR).

History

• 1941: The Special Air Service was formed in World War II during the North African conflict. The SAS later formed a unit comprising eight-man sections of divers and canoeists to reconnoitre enemy fortifications from land or sea, raid enemy ports, and conduct sabotage operations against merchant shipping. Originally this unit was named the Special Boat Section to fool German radio operators listening in on British military communications. It was assumed that Wehrmacht operators would have little interest in a "Special Boat Section" when there was so much else going on.
• 1942 April: The British Navy formed a frogman and manned torpedo unit called "Experimental Submarine Flotilla": see British commando frogmen for more about them and their deeds in 1942 to 1945.
• 1946: The SBS bacame part of the Royal Marines. It became part of the School of Combined Operations under the command of Blondie Hasler. Another two squadrons were formed from British troops in West Germany in 1951. Two volunteer squadrons were later added. Their first missions were in Palestine (ordnance removal) and in Haifa (limpet mine removal from ships).
• 1950-1953: In the Korean War the SBS were in action along the North Korean coast. They gathered intelligence and destroyed railways and installations. The SBS operated first from submarines, and later from islands off Wonsan, behind enemy lines. They used two-man canoes and motorised inflatable boats.
• 1952: SBS teams were held at combat readiness in Egypt in case Gamal Abdal Nasser's coup turned more violent than it did.
• 1956: The SBS were alerted during the Suez Crisis, but did not see action.
• 1969 September: The SBS were alerted during a coup against king Idris I of Libya, but did not see action. Similar situations followed.
• 1961: SBS teams carried out reconnaissance missions during the Indonesian Confrontation.
• 1961: The SBS primarily gathered intelligence and trained other special forces during the Vietnam War.
• 1961: Iraq threatened to invade Kuwait for the first time, so the SBS put a detachment at Bahrain.
• later: The SBS was stationed in Gibraltar, where they gathered intelligence in case Franco's Spain decided to invade.
• The SBS were involved in anti-drug operations in the Caribbean.
• 1972: The SAS and SBS came into the spotlight for a moment during their involvement with a bomb threat (which later proved to be a hoax) onboard the Cunard liner RMS Queen Elizabeth II, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
• 1977: The SBS changed its name to Special Boat Squadron.
• 1979: 5 SBS become part of the Comacchio Company, which protected North Sea oil rigs.
• 1980: SBS members played a part in the 1980 Iranian Embassy Siege.
• 1982 March-June: In the Falklands War, 2 SBS took part in the liberation of South Georgia and 6 SBS reconnoitered in East Falkland. Their only losses were to friendly fire from the SAS.
• 1987: The SBS became part of the UK Special Forces group alongside the Special Air Service and 14 Intelligence Company.
• 1987: The SBS changed its name to Special Boat Service and was brought under the command of the Director Special Forces.
• 1991: During the Gulf War, the SBS made raids on the Kuwaiti coast to draw Iraqi troops away from the land attack. The liberation of the British Embassy in Kuwait was one of their most high-profile operations.
• 1999 or later: The SBS were involved in operations in East Timor.
• 2000: The SBS took part in Operation Palliser to rescue European nationals from a civil war in Sierra Leone.
• 2001 October: The SBS took part in the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, where they secured Bagram Airbase.
• 2002: The SBS took part in the Second Gulf War.
• 2005 March 14: The Commanding Officer of the SBS was killed in a training accident in Norway.

Throughout the Cold War, the SBS was organized to perform a "conventional " special forces role for the Royal Marines 3 Commando Brigade. However, in recent decades the SBS's role has become more and more devoted to counter-terrorist operations.

Related Topics:
Cold War - 3 Commando Brigade

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The SBS were frequently involved in covert operations in Northern Ireland.

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