Amphion class
| A class | |
|---|---|
 HMS Alliance (Gosport submarine museum) |
|
| Overview | |
| Type | Submarine |
| units | 16 |
| Shipyard |
Vickers-Armstrongs |
| 1. Period of service |
|
| period of service |
1945–1974 |
| Technical specifications | |
| Details of the type boat | |
| displacement |
surfaced: 1385 ts |
| length |
85.5 m |
| width |
6.8 m |
| Draft |
5.12 m |
| Diving depth | 150 m |
| crew |
61 men |
| drive |
2 diesel engines each with 2 2,150 PS (1581 kW ) |
| speed |
surfaced: 18.5 kn (34.3 km / h ) |
| Range |
popped up:
submerged:
|
| Armament |
|
The Amphion-class (also known as the A- or Acheron-class ) was a class of ocean -going submarines during World War II and in the decades thereafter. The first unit entered service in 1945, the last boat was taken out of service in 1974.
history
The British Admiralty commissioned the construction in 1943 when it was realized that a new type of submarine was needed for the new theater of war in the Pacific after the attack on Pearl Harbor . Originally 46 submarines were ordered, but only 18 were launched. Of these, 16 were put into service, 2 hulls were used for tests. Only two boats were completed during World War II: the Amphion and the Astute . Both were not used.
At the beginning of the Cold War , Soviet submarines became the targets of submarines instead of surface units . In January 1948, the main task of the British submarine fleet in the event of war was to intercept Soviet submarines that could attack British or Allied ships after leaving their bases in northern Russia . In April 1948, Rear Admiral Geoffrey Oliver wrote a dossier in which he suggested that British submarines take a more offensive role and attack the enemy on their own coast.
The A-class formed the backbone of the Royal Navy Submarine Service for almost three decades and was replaced by Porpoise-class and Oberon-class submarines from 1958 . The last boat in the class, the Andrew , was decommissioned in 1974.
draft
The A-Class was supposed to replace the S- and T-Class submarines , which were too slow for use in the Pacific and whose diving depth was insufficient. In addition, the war had shown that submarines had to operate further from Britain and in larger patrol areas than expected. The design was based on the T-Class. The A-Class was a bit bigger and faster and the crew accommodation was designed for longer missions. They tried to use as many existing T-class elements as possible. The seaworthiness was very good and there was an air conditioning system, which was necessary for the planned operation in the Far East. The team was between 60 and 68 strong.
The hull was welded and could be manufactured in individual sections, a technique that was new for Great Britain but had been common in Germany for a long time. The average construction time was eight months.
After the Second World War, some changes were made to the ships. A snorkel was installed. In addition, a radar was introduced that could be used submerged (periscope depth). A night-time periscope completed the equipment.
The A-Class was modernized between 1955 and 1960. The front and rear part of the fuselage have been renewed. The superstructure was streamlined and the guns and outer torpedo tubes were removed to increase underwater speed and reduce noise. In addition, a much improved sonar was built in.
When the Affray was lost in Hurd's Deep in April 1951 - the place and cause of the sinking were initially unknown - all ships of the class remained in port during the investigation.
units
Vickers-Armstrong shipyard
- HMS Amphion (P439)
- HMS Astute (P447)
- HMS Auriga (P419)
- HMS Aurochs (P426)
- HMS Alcide (P415)
- HMS Alderney (P416)
- HMS Alliance (P417)
- HMS Ambush (P418)
- HMS Anchorite (P422)
- HMS Andrew (P423)
Cammell Laird shipyard
Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company
Chatham Dockyard construction yard
HMNB Devonport shipyard
The units were launched but not completed.
Canceled orders
In 1945, the orders of another 27 units were canceled:
| HMS Abelard | HMS Acasta | HMS Admirable | HMS Adversary | HMS Agate |
| HMS aggressor | HMS Agile | HMS Aladdin | HMS Alcestis | HMS Andromache |
| HMS Answer | HMS antagonist | HMS Antaeus | HMS Anzac | HMS Aphrodite |
| HMS approach | HMS Arcadian | HMS Ardent | HMS Argosy | HMS Asgard |
| HMS Asperity | HMS Assurance | HMS Astarte | HMS Atlantis | HMS Austere |
| HMS Awake | HMS Aztec |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Paul Kemp: The T-Class submarine , Arms and Armor 1990, ISBN 0-85368-958-X , p. 127