One of Our Submarines
1982 song performed by Thomas Dolby
"One of Our Submarines" is a song by British musician Thomas Dolby. The song was recorded in August 1982 and remains a favourite among Thomas Dolby fans. Originally written for the Thompson Twins, the track was released in a 12" extended version (found on the successful 1982 "Blinded by Science" EP) clocking in at 7:18, as well as in the album version found on The Golden Age of Wireless.
Inspiration
The inspiration for the song was Dolby's late uncle, who died as a submarine crewman during World War II. On February 2, 2018, Dolby published this statement on his personal Facebook page:
In 1981 I wrote a song called 'One Of Our Submarines.' It was the B-side to the single 'She Blinded Me With Science', and the two songs were included on a reissue of my debut album The Golden Age of Wireless.
In interviews I often told the story of my uncle, Stephen Spring-Rice, who was 2nd in command of a British Navy WW2 submarine P48 when it sank, with the loss of all hands. In the song lyrics, his submarine 'ran aground on manoeuvres.' I imagined this took place off the coast of England in a non-combat situation, near Plymouth where she was stationed. This was the story as I remembered it in family folklore—or as I pictured it at the time. (I have often written lyrics that rhymed and scanned and used poetic license, without much solid research behind them!) In 1981 not much was known or published about Stephen’s U-boat [sic], P48, other than a book by the same title that included a dedication to 'Sprice.'
In the 35+ years since I wrote the song, a great deal more information about P48 has come to light. Certain naval records have become declassified. Commissioned in 1942, she had a short-lived but quite action-packed career.
The public source identifies “One of Our Submarines” as 1982 song performed by Thomas Dolby. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Submarines, song and performed.
Why this record matters
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Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jan 4, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7093563. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1982, 2018, 1981 and 1942.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Three-step research path
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “One of Our Submarines” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.