[11] They worked with the 1st Submarine Flotilla based at Alexandria and carried out beach reconnaissance of Rhodes, evacuated troops left behind on Crete and a number of small-scale raids and other operations. He decided to infiltrate HMS Glengyle, a Landing Ship, Infantry anchored in the River Clyde. [23], In 1973, their name was changed to the Special Boat Squadron and in 1980 the SBS relinquished North Sea oil rig protection to Comacchio Company. [86], Until recently, the SBS had its own independent selection programme to qualify as a Swimmer Canoeist, but its selection programme has now been integrated into a joint UKSF selection alongside candidates for the Special Air Service.

On 18 November 2003, the SBS were given their own cap badge with the motto "By Strength and Guile".

Basic skills such as swimming, map reading and basic fitness are tested. [19], In 1946, the SBS, whether of Commando or SAS parentage, were disbanded. [16] They moved to Haifa and trained with the Greek Sacred Regiment for operations in the Aegean. However the Squadron was compromised by a goat herder; the SBS drove for several days while unknown to them anti-special forces Fedayeen units followed them. [22] The SBS conducted operations in Northern Ireland during The Troubles including with submarines. For SBS(R) selection, only candidates with previous military experience are eligible to enlist. Both units come under the operational command of HQ Directorate of Special Forces (DSF) and undergo an identical selection process. One SBS member was awarded the MC for his actions in the ambush. The Special Boat Service wear the green commando beret, they used to wear their own cap badge however now use the RM Cap Badge and Shoulder Flashes, Special forces unit of the Royal Navy. The two hostages were killed before or during the rescue attempt. [72] The incident has since been commended by senior British officials. Volunteers are also required to pass the UKSF swimming test that consists of high water entry (3 m, 9.8 ft), treading water for nine minutes followed immediately by a swim of 500 m (1,600 ft) wearing Combat 95. The SBS has traditionally been manned mostly by Royal Marines Commandos. All other training during this initial period is directed at preparing volunteers for "Test Week" which is the fourth and final week of the Aptitude phase. 62 Commando (Small Scale Raiding Force), Republic of Korea Navy Special Warfare Flotilla, Cleaning and disinfection of personal diving equipment, Swimming at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's underwater swimming, Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques, Fédération Française d'Études et de Sports Sous-Marins, Federación Española de Actividades Subacuáticas, International Association for Handicapped Divers, Environmental impact of recreational diving, Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area, Finger Lakes Underwater Preserve Association, Maritime Heritage Trail – Battle of Saipan, Use of breathing equipment in an underwater environment, Failure of diving equipment other than breathing apparatus, Testing and inspection of diving cylinders, Association of Diving Contractors International, Hazardous Materials Identification System, International Marine Contractors Association, List of signs and symptoms of diving disorders, European Underwater and Baromedical Society, National Board of Diving and Hyperbaric Medical Technology, Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory, Royal Australian Navy School of Underwater Medicine, South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society, Southern African Underwater and Hyperbaric Medical Association, United States Navy Experimental Diving Unit, List of legislation regulating underwater diving, UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, History of decompression research and development, Basic Cave Diving: A Blueprint for Survival, Bennett and Elliott's physiology and medicine of diving, Code of Practice for Scientific Diving (UNESCO), IMCA Code of Practice for Offshore Diving, ISO 24801 Recreational diving services — Requirements for the training of recreational scuba divers, The Silent World: A Story of Undersea Discovery and Adventure, List of Divers Alert Network publications, International Diving Regulators and Certifiers Forum, List of diver certification organizations, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, World Recreational Scuba Training Council, Commercial diver registration in South Africa, American Canadian Underwater Certifications, Association nationale des moniteurs de plongée, International Association of Nitrox and Technical Divers, International Diving Educators Association, National Association of Underwater Instructors, Professional Association of Diving Instructors, Professional Diving Instructors Corporation, National Speleological Society#Cave Diving Group, South African Underwater Sports Federation, 14th CMAS Underwater Photography World Championship, Physiological response to water immersion, Russian deep submergence rescue vehicle AS-28, Submarine Rescue Diving Recompression System, Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia, Diving Equipment and Marketing Association, Society for Underwater Historical Research, Underwater Archaeology Branch, Naval History & Heritage Command, International Submarine Escape and Rescue Liaison Office, Submarine Escape and Rescue system (Royal Swedish Navy), Submarine Escape Training Facility (Australia), Neutral buoyancy simulation as a training aid, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special_Boat_Service&oldid=983032504, 1940 establishments in the United Kingdom, Military units and formations established in 1940, Military units and formations of the United Kingdom in the Falklands War, Military units and formations of the Gulf War, Military units and formations of the United Kingdom in the War in Afghanistan (2001–present), Military units and formations of the British Army in World War II, Pages containing London Gazette template with parameter supp set to y, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2020, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from March 2018, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Aptitude Phase (hill phase) – 4 weeks.

[52][53][54] On 24 September 2007, members of C squadron SBS and the Italian SOF unit Col Moschin rescued two Italian intelligence agents who were kidnapped two days before by the Taliban in Herat province near Farah. The SBS maintains very close training and operational links with the U.S. Navy’s SEAL Team 6. The SBS went on to serve in the Korean War deployed on operations along the North Korean coast as well as operating behind enemy lines destroying lines of communication, installations and gathering intelligence. Upon reaching the FOB it was discovered that Captain David Patton, SRR, and Sergeant Paul Bartlett, SBS were missing—one was helping wounded out of a vehicle when he was shot and assumed killed, and the other went missing during the firefight. SBS Troops are commanded by a Captain. [9], It was initially named the Folboat Troop, after the type of folding canoe employed in raiding operations and then renamed No. The SBS, or the Special Boat Service, mainly recruits from the Royal Marines, a part of the military already considered to be an elite force. In 1972, the SBS and SAS came into prominence when members of a combined SBS and SAS team parachuted into the Atlantic Ocean after a bomb threat on board the cruise liner RMS Queen Elizabeth 2. The SBS continued to work with Task Force Sword and the CIA. Volunteers for the SBS are now taken from all branches of the British Armed Forces, although volunteers still predominantly come from the Royal Marines Commandos. [67] A heavily armed insurgent suicide squad occupied a six-story, half-built tower block, and began firing small arms and RPGs on nearby buildings including the British and German embassies. The Helmand Battle Group had not been informed of the operation until it went wrong; a QRF made up of a platoon of Gurkhas responded but ran into another insurgent ambush; one SBS member was seriously injured in the ambush. After the Second World War, the Royal Navy formed special forces with several name changes—Special Boat Company was adopted in 1951 and re-designated as the Special Boat Squadron in 1974—until on 28 July 1987 when the unit was renamed as the Special Boat Service after assuming responsibility for maritime counter-terrorism. In 1977, their name was changed to the Special Boat Squadron.