Special Operations.Com

Special Boat Service (SBS)

"Not By Strength, By Guile"

Unit Profile

History

Organisation

Training

Weapons and Equipment

SBS versus SAS

Unit Profile

Location: Poole, Dorset, UK

Primary role: maritime special operations unit, specialising in intelligence gathering, observation, underwater attack, beach reconnaissance/survey and sabotage.

Secondary roles: maritime counter-terrorist unit; general-purpose special operations unit.

The Special Boat Service is the special operations unit of the Royal Marines. It is closely related to the SAS, having originated from the same Commando unit in World War 2. Today like the SAS it is part of Britain's Special Forces Group. It has operated all over the world in its primary amphibious warfare role, as well as performing many other tasks. SBS has variously stood for Special Boat Section and Special Boat Squadron; since 1987 it has stood for SB Service.

Active service: Borneo 1963-66, Oman 1970-71, Falklands 1982, Iraq/Kuwait 1991.

History

The SBS has a long and complicated history. Though the present-day unit considers itself a direct descendant of the Royal Marines Boom Patrol Detachment, this was only one of many maritime spec-ops units in World War 2. These include the original Special Boat Section, formed in 1940, which later became part of 1^st SAS Regiment, but regained its independence as the Special Boat Squadron, redesignated late in 1944 as the Special Boat Service; it continued to wear the SAS beret and wings throughout its short life. Another Special Boat Section was formed in the UK and sent teams all around the world. There were also units such as the Combined Operations Pilotage Parties, who specialised in beach reconnaissance; the RMBPD itself, raised specifically for raids on shipping; the Landing Craft Obstruction Clearance Units, the closest equivalent to the US Underwater Demolition Teams; and other small units. These were variously manned by the Army, RN and RM. For more information, see " Cockleshell Heroes".

At the end of the Second World War, members of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines returning from service with the Small Operations Group in the Far East, now like all spec-ops units disbanded, were concentrated at Fremington. Here they formed the School of Combined Operations Beach and Boat Section. The RMBPD was kept in being, as it had been decided in 1944 that in future small boat operations would be conducted by the Marines. In 1947 these two units were moved to the Amphibious School Royal Marines, forming at Portsmouth to replace the SCO. Here they were combined to form the Small Raids Wing and began resurrecting the old skills, for by now few wartime members remained. In 1950 this became the Special Boat Wing , made up of Special Boat Sections, thus reviving the initials SBS, and both an operational and training unit. Swimmer-canoeists, as the members of this unit were known from the start, were among those who volunteered for No.41 Independent Commando, the RM unit which served in Korea 1950-51.41 was employed mainly on coastal raids, but also fought as regular infantry at the Chosin Reservoir, beside their US cousins in the 1^st Marine Division.

Besides No. 1 Special Boat Section in the UK, Nos.2 and 3 SB Sections were formed in 1950-51 for service with the RN Rhine Squadron in Germany. Their war role would be to destroy bridges and other targets along the river if Allied forces were forced to retreat that far , slowing down the Soviet advance. 4 and 5 SBS were manned by members of the Royal Marines Forces Volunteer Reserve. When 3 Commando Brigade moved from Malaya to Malta in the mid-50s, 6 SBS was established to serve with them. From here, and later from Bahrain, they conducted numerous beach recces all over the Middle East. 6 SBS's beach recce for the Suez invasion in 1956 was cancelled as the area was already well-known and such an operation considered too risky.

In 1958, with six sections now in existence, the SBW became the Special Boat Company, and separate from the Amphibious School, but still co-located with it, now at Poole. It was at this time that the motto "Not By Strength, By Guile" was coined. This appears on the unofficial insignia of crossed canoe paddles with a frog on top of them and parachute wings above. This originated as a Christmas card in 1946.

Britain's "confrontation" with Indonesia began with the Brunei revolt in December 1962. This was quickly put down, but soon local guerillas and regular Indonesian troops were being infiltrated across the border into the Malaysian part of Borneo. British troops, aided by local and Commonwealth forces, were deployed to stop them. 2 SBS was already in the area, having gone to Singapore with 3 Commando Brigade in 1961. They and 1 SBS, sent out from the UK, operated mainly in the coastal areas and also across the border on recce missions. Another job was supplying larger jungle patrols, often Gurkhas, from the sea. The confrontation ended with a peace treaty signed in August 1966.

At around the same time Britain was fighting a rear-guard action against Egyptian-backed guerillas in the Aden Protectorates( now part of Yemen). Swimmer-canoeists who had returned to Commando duty were prominent in leading many Recce Troop patrols. A permanent party had been established at Bahrain, as part of 2 SBS, and continued its work of hydrographic survey in areas Britain might fight in. The British pull-out from Aden was completed in 1967, but this was not the end of SBS service in the Middle East. From 1970 to 1976 the SAS was involved in fighting communist insurgents in Oman, who were threatening to topple the Sultan, a pro-British ruler. SB men from Bahrain were present at the early stages of this campaign, initially bringing in SAS in small boats, but later joining ambushes and patrols inland.

By 1971 the withdrawal from Malaysia and Singapore was complete and the Special Boat Company was concentrated at Poole. It was here that SB Sections first became involved in counter-terrorist duties. In May 1972 a four-man team was parachuted into the North Atlantic to look for bombs aboard the QE2, following a terrorist threat. No explosives were found. The company sent teams to Northern Ireland for boat patrols on the coast and lakes, mainly to counter gun-running. It also supplied volunteers for what was to become known as 14 Intelligence & Security Company. Beginning in 1975, 1 SBS was dedicated to the maritime CT role, with the amount of oil-rigs in the North Sea now expanding greatly.

It was also this year that the SB Company became the Special Boat Squadron. Further expansion of the counter-terrorist capability came in 1980 with the establishment of Commachio Company RM in Scotland. This was to include a Special Boat Section and the name 5 SBS was given to this sub-unit. All the reservists, about fifty of them, now came under 4 SBS.

The SBS continued its training role in the 1970s. Previously it had helped establish the Australian Commando Companies and Malaysian Special Service Regiment, and now it trained the Iranian combat swimmer unit, a task which lasted until 1979. Of course there were also exercises with similar units in NATO countries, especially in Norway, now the Royal Marines chief area of responsibility. Mountain & Arctic Warfare training became a priority, with the Commandos going to northern Norway almost every year.

Argentina seized the Falkland Islands in April 1982. Soon 2, 3 and 6 SB Sections were heading south with a small tactical headquarters, 84 men in all under Major Jonathan Thomson. 2 SBS was first part of the small task force sent to re-take South Georgia, a small group of islands also occupied by Argentinians. They then joined the other sections in establishing observation posts all over East and West Falkland, a full three weeks before the main landings. SBS teams carried out beach recces of all suitable landing sites. When the time came for the Commandos and paratroopers to land at San Carlos Bay, on 21 May, the SBS were there to guide them in. An SBS party with an SAS mortar team took out an Argentine outpost close to the invasion beaches, with the aid of naval gunfire killing or capturing all 25 occupants. Here, as on other ops, men from 148 Commando Forward Observation Battery were attached, bringing in invaluable support from the guns of the destroyers and frigates.

Following the landings, the SBS carried on with patrols behind enemy lines, inserted by helicopter or submarine, or sometimes by small craft launched directly from the task force. On one of these operations, a raid to knock out an enemy OP, the team inadvertently strayed into an area being patrolled by the SAS. Sergeant " Kiwi" Hunt was killed in the " blue on blue " incident which followed; he was the only SBS member to die in the South Atlantic. Six members of 3 SBS were with D Squadron 22SAS on the last operation of the war, the night before the cease-fire. This was a diversionary raid near Port Stanley, with the assault troops being brought in by RM Rigid Raiders. The raid was aborted after coming under heavy fire, all the raiding craft being seriously damaged. Luckily no one was killed.

Following the Falklands War there was further expansion of the MCT mission. Two rifle troops from Commachio were put under command of the squadron and 1 and 5 SBS combined as the main counter-terrorist force. In 1987 the UK Special Forces Group was established, with the Director SAS, an Army Brigadier, becoming Director Special Forces too.

His deputy was to be a Royal Marines Colonel. SBS now stood for Special Boat Service and its sub-units were now squadrons. The MCT capability was consolidated as M Squadron, at Poole, to be fully manned by swimmer-canoeists. Dedicated Swimmer Delivery Vehicle teams were also established, after experiments going back to the late 1960s.

One squadron of the SBS was deployed to the Gulf in 1990-91, as part of Desert Shield/Desert Storm. They were part of a strong British special forces contingent, including most of 22^nd SAS Regiment, all under Brigadier Andrew Massey. The Special Boat Service conducted only one operation behind Iraqi lines that is known of. On the night of 23 January 1991, twenty swimmer-canoeists, three US Army Special Forces operators and one US Air Force combat controller were flown by helicopters to within 65 km of Baghdad. Their mission, led by an SBS Lieutenant, was to destroy a fibre-optic cable believed to be part of Iraq's Scud missile command system. No such cable was found, but several others were located and destroyed. The team was extracted after ninety minutes on the ground. The SBS secured the British embassy in Kuwait City at the end of the war, though like the helo descent on the US embassy, this one was also not necessary.

Since the Gulf War the SBS has said to have been used in support of Britain's Customs & Excise, primarily in intercepting drug smugglers.

A few patrols went to Bosnia in 1993, and a whole squadron was deployed in 1995-96, as the NATO force took control of the area. During the bombing of Kosovo and Serbia in 1999, a small team was attached to 42 Commando RM, aboard the helicopter carrier HMS Ocean in the Adriatic Sea. The Service's latest operation was in East Timor later that year. Thirty men were among the first troops to land at Dili airport, along with elements of the Australian and New Zealand SAS.

Organisation

Before its reorganisation in 1987, the-then Special Boat Squadron was about 150 strong, with about 50 reservists. Since then it has been expanded, but to what extent is not exactly clear. According to a Ministry of Defence statement on force structure, there are four squadrons in the Special Boat Service. Presumably one is manned by the reservists. M Squadron, the counter-terrorist force, consists of Black, Gold and Purple Troops. Sixteen-man operational troops are used, at least in the traditional swimmer-canoeist role, as they can be split into eight canoe pairs, four four-man patrols or two boat-loads.

There are no British units comparable to the US Navy's Special Boat Units and SDV Teams. Inflatable and rigid-inflatable boats are operated by the SBS themselves, as are SDVs. The Rigid Raiders of 539 Assault Squadron RM, as well as the various landing craft used by this and other squadrons, provide further support. Air support would come from RAF Special Forces Flights, using Hercules aircraft and Chinook helicopters, and from the RN's Naval Air Commando squadrons, with Sea King helicopters.

Training

Recruits must be Royal Marines Commandos with at least three years service. They will have started off their careers with the 30-week initial stint at the Commando Training Centre or the 15-month Young Officers Course, mostly at the same establishment. Later they may have had further training in signals, heavy weapons, sniping etc. Those wishing to join the SBS must first go through a two-week aptitude test, which consists of the following:

Boating Week.  Candidates must