British Royal Navy submarine HMS Andrew, S-63, snorting world record HMS Andrew was of the A class, designed for war in the Pacific, having a high (approx 18 knots) surface speed.  Operating in that ocean, the vast distances would need to be covered quickly, but she was completed, as most of her class, too late to see action. The Andrew had a bit of history to her: she was the first submarine to cross the Atlantic submerged using the `snort`, (in June 1953, on the eve of the Queen`s coronation) and she appeared in the film `On The Beach` starring Gregory Peck. After the end of the war she underwent hull streamlining and various modifications. One such addition was to attach a snort mast, based upon the German `schnorkel` used by U-boats during the war. This allowed air to enter the submarine whilst at periscope depth thus allowing her to stay submerged for much longer and to run on diesel engines rather then on slower electric ones. The Andrew showed off her new abilities by undertaking a 15-day trip from Bermuda to England, 2,500 n/miles, entirely submerged, establishing a world record at that time! HMS Andrew, commanding officer Lieutenant Frere, stopped at Pitcairn on November 12, 1968.  Andrew was laid down by Vickers Armstrong in Barrow-in-Furness in 1945, commissioned in 1948 and finally paid off December 31st 1973- at the time she was the oldest submarine in service, the last to carry a deck gun and the last submarine design during WW-II to be still at sea! Back to History Index     Image Country Year Description Pitcairn Is. 1993 Submarine HMS Andrew, S-63 (1946) of A class