HMS Aeneas (P427) was a British Amphion-class submarine of the Royal Navy, built by Cammell Laird and launched on 9 October 1945.[1] It was named after the hero Aeneas from Greek mythology.

Amphion-class submarine HMS Aeneas
History
United Kingdom
NameHMS Aeneas
NamesakeAeneas
BuilderCammell Laird
Laid down10 October 1944
Launched25 October 1945
Commissioned31 July 1946
IdentificationPennant number P427
FateScrapped, 1974
General characteristics
Class and typeAmphion-class submarine
Displacement1,360/1,590 tons (surface/submerged)
Length293 ft 6 in (89.46 m)
Beam22 ft 4 in (6.81 m)
Draught18 ft 1 in (5.51 m)
Propulsion2 × 2,150 hp (1,600 kW) Admiralty ML 8-cylinder diesel engine, 2 × 625 hp (466 kW) electric motors for submergence driving two shafts
Speed
  • 18.5 knots (34.3 km/h; 21.3 mph) surfaced
  • 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) submerged
Range
  • 10,500 nautical miles (19,400 km) at 11 knots (20 km/h) surfaced
  • 16 nautical miles (30 km) at 8 knots (15 km/h) submerged
Test depth350 ft (110 m)
Complement60
Armament
  • 6 × 21 inch (533 mm) (2 external) bow torpedo tube, 4 × 21 in (533 mm) (2 external) stern torpedo tube, containing a total of 20 torpedoes
  • Mines: 26
  • 1 × 4 in (102 mm) MK XXIII main deck gun, 3 × 0.303 in (7.70 mm) machine gun, 1 × Oerlikon 20 mm gun

Service history

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Aeneas took part in the Coronation Review of the Fleet to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.[2]

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

In 1972 Aeneas was hired by Vickers for use in what proved to be successful trials of the Submarine-Launched Airflight Missile (SLAM) system, an anti-aircraft 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.

Aeneas was broken up in 1974.

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[i] which was based on the Blowpipe developed by Vickers in the 1970s, and used on HMS Aeneas.[3]

Notes

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  1. ^ Not to be confused with the American SLAM Stand off Land Attack Missile

References

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  1. ^ "HMS Aeneas (P 427) of the Royal Navy - British Submarine of the A class - Allied Warships of WWII - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  2. ^ Souvenir Programme, Coronation Review of the Fleet, Spithead, 15 June 1953, HMSO, Gale and Polden
  3. ^ Janes International Defence Review Vol 45 France revives hard-kill submarine defences, page XIV

Further reading

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