Special Boat Service

Special Boat Service
Cap badge of the Special Boat Service[1][2]
Active1940–present
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Navy[2]
TypeSpecial forces
RoleSpecial operations
Counter-terrorism
SizeOne regiment
Part ofUnited Kingdom Special Forces
Garrison/HQRM Poole, Dorset, England
Motto(s)"By Strength and Guile"[1]
Engagements
United Kingdom
His Majesty's
Naval Service
of the British Armed Forces
Components
  • Special Forces
History and future
Operations
Equipment
Personnel
Auxiliary services

The Special Boat Service (SBS) is the special forces unit of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The SBS can trace its origins back to the Second World War when the Army Special Boat Section was formed in 1940.[3] 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. Most of the operations conducted by the SBS are highly classified, and are rarely commented on by the British government or the Ministry of Defence, owing to their sensitive nature.[4][5]

The Special Boat Service is the maritime special forces unit of the United Kingdom Special Forces and is described as the sister unit of the British Army 22 Special Air Service Regiment (22 SAS), with both under the operational control of the Director Special Forces. In October 2001, full command of the SBS was transferred from the Commandant General Royal Marines to the Commander-in-Chief Fleet.[6] On 18 November 2003, the SBS were given their own cap badge with the motto "By Strength and Guile".[1][6] SBS operators are mostly recruited from the Royal Marines Commandos.[7]

  1. ^ a b c OC SBS (November–December 2003). "The New SBS Cap Badge". The Globe & Laurel – The journal of the Royal Marines. Richmond, Surrey: Simpson Drewett & Co Ltd. ISSN 0017-1204.
  2. ^ a b "Col Richard Pickup – Obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 11 May 2009. Archived from the original on 25 May 2010. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
  3. ^ "Origins of the Special Forces | National Army Museum".
  4. ^ Secretary of State for Defence Geoffrey Hoon (14 January 2002). "Special Forces". UK Parliament. House of Commons Hansard. Archived from the original on 25 April 2010. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
  5. ^ Knowles, Emily (July 2016). Britain's culture of no comment (Report). London: Remote Control; Oxford Research Group. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  6. ^ a b Wakely, S. (Spring 2004). "Cap Badge Inauguration Ceremony 18th November 2003". The Croaker.
  7. ^ "Special Boat Service". Royal Navy. Retrieved 15 November 2023.