HMS Aeneas (P427)

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HMS Aeneas (P427) was a British Template:Sclass of the Royal Navy, built by Cammell Laird and launched on 9 October 1945.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> She was named after the hero Aeneas from Greek mythology.

Design

The Amphion-class or A class submarines were designed after the T-class submarines. They were designed to serve in the Pacific campaign, but most of them weren't completed before the campaign ended. The Amphion-class submarines displaced 1385 tons surfaced and 1620 tons submerged. Their surface speed was Template:Convert, and their submerged speed was Template:Convert. The submarines were powered by diesel electric propulsion and two shafts. The crew strength onboard was 6 officers and 55 sailors. The submarines had ten [[British 21-inch torpedo|Template:Convert]] torpedo tubes and carried a total of 20 torpedoes. There were four torpedo tubes on the bow, two on the bow exterior, two on the stern and two on the stern exterior. There were three 0.303 machine guns and one Oerlikon 20mm cannon which served as the anti-aircraft guns.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The main deck gun was the QF 4-inch Mk XXII, which was later replaced with the QF 4-inch naval gun Mk XXIII.Template:Sfn

Aeneas was fitted with 2-shaft Vickers supercharged diesel engines which produced Template:Convert. Aeneas also had 2 electric motors which produced Template:Convert. Aeneas was Template:Convert long overall, had a beam of Template:Convert and a draught of Template:Convert. The ship could carry 165 tons of fuel as a normal load and 219 tons of fuel as its maximum load.Template:Sfn 60 tons were stored in internal tanks and 100 tons in external tanks, an extra 54 tons could be stored in the main tanks. Aeneas had a tinplated, circular-welded pressure hull, almost equivalent to a double hull. This allowed the ship to dive to a maximum operstional depth of Template:Convert and a test depth of Template:Convert, though they would be moderately damaged below Template:Convert. The Amphion-class submarines were planned to be fitted with submarine snorkels (snorts), however, they were not fitted on all ships at first.Template:Sfn

Service history

Aeneas was ordered on 7 April 1943 and built by Cammell Laird in Birkenhead. She was laid down on 28 April 1944, launched on 5 October 1945 and commissioned on 31 July 1946.<ref name=":0" />

In 1950, engineers from Harwell Laboratory visited Aeneas and HMS Ambush at Fort Blockhouse in Gosport to learn about features required in submarines. The Harwell engineers were then developing nuclear submarines. They discovered space constraints on submarines and the need to keep sound levels low.Template:Sfn

After World War II and before 1961, Aeneas was commanded by Iwan Raikes, who would later become a Vice-Admiral.Template:Sfn From 1951 to 1952, Lieutenant (later Admiral of the Fleet) John Fieldhouse, Baron Fieldhouse served on the Aeneas.Template:Sfn

Aeneas took part in the Coronation Review of the Fleet to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.<ref>Souvenir Programme, Coronation Review of the Fleet, Spithead, 15 June 1953, HMSO, Gale and Polden</ref>

Aeneas played the part of the M1 submarine in the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice.

In 1972, Aeneas was loaned to Vickers for trials of the Submarine-Launched Airflight Missile (SLAM) system. The SLAM was a system which used Shorts Blowpipe missiles to attack helicopters participating in anti-submarine warfare. The submarine would rise to periscope depth and the periscope would be used to spot the target. However, the SLAM system was not developed further because it was not operable in the night.Template:Sfn

From 7 to 18 January 1972, Aeneas participated in Exercise Vendetta, along with HMS Dreadnought, HMS Ocelot, HMS Osiris and HMS Opposum.Template:Sfn Aeneas was placed on the disposal list by the UK government in 1973.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 26 September 2012, at the company's Le Mourillon plant, DNCS announced plans to design and build a submarine canister-based air defence weapon based on MBDA's Mistral. The concept is based on the British SLAM, Submarine Launched Airflight Missile,Template:Efn-lr which was based on the Blowpipe developed by Vickers in the 1970s, and used onboard Aeneas.<ref>Janes International Defence Review Vol 45 France revives hard-kill submarine defences, page XIV</ref>

The ship was sold on 14 November 1974 and scrapped at Dunston on Tyne.<ref name=":0" />

Bibliography

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Further reading

• Template:Cite Colledge2006
• Submarines in Colour by Bill Gunston - Blandford Colour Series - Blandford - 1976 - Template:ISBN

External links

• Pictures of HMS Aeneas at MaritimeQuest