British Royal Navy A class, too late to see action in WW-II As the Second World War raged, 46 A class submarines were ordered by the British Government in 1943-that was an outcome of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the British understanding that a new theater of war has been opened needing a new type of submarine. In the end only 18 A class were built and only 16 of them commissioned. Out of the total, 10 were built by Vickers Armstrong in Barrow-in-Furness, only 2 boats completed before the end of war, HMS Amphion launched August 1944 followed by HMS Astute, and neither of these submarines saw enemy action. This class of diesel submarine was the only new design throughout the entire war. It was capable of better speeds and could travel greater range then its predecessors in order to cover the great distances in the Pacific. It hull was entirely welded. Specifications, HMS Alliance, A class/Acheron class: Keel laid down by Vickers Armstrong in Barrow-in-Furness on March 1945, launched July 1945, commissioned May 1947   Displacement (srf/sub tons): 1,360/1,590             Dimensions (L*B*D feet): 293`6*22`4*18`1 Propulsion: 2*2,150hp Admiralty ML 8-cylinder diesel engine, 2*625hp electric motors for submergence driving two shafts Speed (srf/sub knots): 18.5/8 Range (srf/sub n/miles@knots): 10,500@11/16@8 or 90@3 Diving depth (feet): 350 Complement: 5 officers 55 enlisted Torpedo: 6*21" (2 external)bow torpedo tube, 4*21" (2 external) stern torpedo tube, containing a total of 20 torpedoes Mines: 26 Armament: 1*4" main deck gun, 3*0.303 machine gun, 1*20mm AA Oerlikon Construction After the war various modifications were made to these overseas patrol submarines as they were known. They, like the surviving T class boats, were streamlined and equipped with snort masts. Between 1955-60 all As were modernized on the same line as the T class, with complete rebuilt of the forward and after hull section, lengthening and streamlining. The external torpedo tubes and the main deck gun were removed. They were to form the backbone of the submarine service until the arrival of the highly successful modern P and O class patrol submarines that started coming into service in 1958. Back to History Index