RN Submarines: Amphion Class 1945

Submarines of the fleet
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Pelican
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RN Submarines: Amphion Class 1945

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FROM: Internationales Maritimes Museum Hamburg

When World War II was expanded to the Pacific after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December the 7th 1941, the British Royal Navy faced a new challenge for which their larger submarines of the S-class and T-class were not really prepared. Those submarines had been developed during the 1930s as part of a program to modernize the British fleet. But the Pacific Theatre demanded crafts with more speed, a wider range and the capacity to dive deeper.
The answer was the Amphion-class submarine, also know as the A-class, ordered in 1943. Together with the smaller V-class, it was the Royal Navy's only new development of a larger type of submarine during World War II. They were slightly as the T-class, with a displacement of 1620 tons submerged and 1385 surfaced, a length of 85,5 m and a beam of 6,8 m, and they had a Diesel-electric propulsion. They were nevertheless a big improvement in all aspects needed: their top speed was 18,5 knots surfaced and 8 knots submerged and had a range of 10500 nautical miles surfaced and up to 16 nautical miles submerged at top speed. Another aspect that was strongly improved was the process of their construction. They were fully welded and built in sections. This process, that had become common in Germany at that time, allowed to speed the production from the 15 months needed for a T-class to only 8 months. Despite this fact, none of the 16 units produced out of the 46 originally planned saw any action in World War II. Only HMS Amphion and HMS Astute were completed before the end of the conflict.
After the war, the A-class was named Overseas Patrol Submarines and their aim changed: from attacking surface ships, they were now reconceived to hunt Soviet submarines. For this, an extensive modernization process took place between 1955 and 1962. But by the end of the 1950s, the Porpoise and Oberon classes started to take on their duties. HMS Andrew, the last A-class on duty, was decommissioned in 1974.
This HMS Amphion in a scale of 1:100 is yet another masterpiece built by our friend Maurice Verhaaren and displayed in our subaquatic warfare section on deck 5 of the museum.

2nd Photo is apparently Amphion off Shotley.
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HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
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Pelican
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Re: RN Submarines: Amphion Class 1945

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HMS Auriga S69 Entering New York in 1963

Further info about the Boat at - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Auriga_(P419)
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HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
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