Commissioning programme, second commission September 27th 1955, order of service and crew list. Click to open PDF document
Motto: "AUDENTIS FORTUNA JUVAT" (Fortune favours the bold)
HMS Aeneas was an Amphion-class submarine of the Royal Navy, named after the hero Aeneas from Greek mythology. Orders for 46 Amphion-class vessels were placed in 1943 with Vickers Armstrong, Barrow-in-Furness (21), Cammell Laird (6), Scotts Shipbuilding &Engineering Co (5), Vickers Armstrong Ltd, High Walker (6) and 2 each from Portsmouth, Devonport and Chatham Dockyards. In 1945 30 of the 46 vessels ordered were cancelled.
AENEAS was built by Cammell Laird and keel was laid on April 28th 1944, she was launched 9 October 1945 and Commissioned on July 31st 1946 She was powered by twin diesel engines while on the surface, and by electric motors when submerged. She originally had ten torpedo tubes, a 4-inch deck gun, an anti-aircraft cannon, and three machine guns.
Specification as ordered:
Diving depth: 500ft
Complement: 60
Length overall: 277ft 9in
Breadth extreme: 22ft 3in
Surface displacement: 1360 tons
Submerged displacement :1590 tons.
Shp main engines: 4300
Max surface speed: 19 kts
Oil fuel internal: 61 tons
Oil fuel External: 105tons
Surface endurance: 12200 miles at 10 kts, or 15200 miles
at 10 kts with 48 tons fuel in No 4 main ballast tank
Shp main motors: 1250 Max
Submerged speed 8 kts: 1 hr
Submerged endurance at 4 kts: 20hrs
Guns: 1 4in + 1 Oerlikon
Torpedoes Forward: 4 internal + 2 external tubes - 6
re-loads
Torpedoes Aft : 2 internal + 2 external tubes - 4
re-loads
Several major changes were made to the Amphion-class submarines after entering service including fitting a ‘snort mast’ (based on the German schnorkel), a night periscope and two radar masts were added. Each radar mast had a rotating antenna, one for aircraft warning and the other for surface warning, which could be used from periscope depth. Additional equipment which improved plotting and fire control arrangements resulted in a rearrangement of the entire control room. More modifications sere done in the 1950s when the upper decks and conning tower was ‘streamlined’ by removing all external torpedo tubes and fuel tanks. Her 4 inch, and other gun mounts were removed and her conning tower modified.
Many of the remaining Amphion-class vessels underwent a more radical modification refit and modernisation in the early 1960s which resulted in a radical change in appearance; they now resembled the silhouette of the Porpoise class Diesel Electric boats that were entering service in the late 1950s. In 1967 AENEAS played the part of the M1 submarine James Bond film ‘You Only Live Twice the same year saw the first of the class withdrawn from service for scrapping.
HMS AENEAS was hired by Vickers in 1972 for successful trials of SLAM (Submarine Launched Anti-Aircraft Missile), a system using a cluster of four Shorts Blowpipe missiles on an extendable mast, allowing attacks against low flying aircraft while the submarine was at periscope depth. She scrapped in 1974; the last operational Amphion-class boat, ANDREW, was decommissioned in 1974.
The only surviving example of the Amphion-class submarine, HMS ALLIANCE, has been preserved at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum, Gosport, Hampshire, and is open to the public.
Lieutenant T.S, Weston D.S.O., D.S.C. R.N. 1946-1948
Lieutenant P.T. Miles 1948-1949
Lieutenant-Commander D C R Walters RN 1953-1953
Lieutenant-Commander I.W. Marechant 1955-1956
Lieutenant-Commander J B Hervey RN 1956 -1957
Lieutenant-Commander J W A Greig RN 1965-1966
Lieutenant R D Hunter 1969-1971
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Comments (2)
LCdr Richard Sharpe relieved LCdr Greig in 1966. He was relieved in late 1967 or early 1968. I can't remember the name of his replacement. I was the executive officer (1965-1968) for all three of these commanding officers.
Lieutenant R D Hunter 1969-1971