HMS Anchorite (P422)

History
United Kingdom
Ordered	Very late in World War II
Builder	Vickers Armstrong, Barrow-in-Furness
Laid down	13 August 1945
Launched	22 January 1946
Commissioned	18 November 1947
Identification	Pennant number P422
Fate	Sold to be broken up for scrap on 28 July 1970. Scrapped at Troon, Scotland in August 1970.
General characteristics
Displacement	1,360/1,590 tons (surface/submerged)
Length	293 ft 6 in (89.46 m)
Beam	22 ft 4 in (6.81 m)
Draught	18 ft 1 in (5.51 m)
Propulsion	2 × 2,150 hp (1,603 kW) Admiralty ML 8-cylinder diesel engine, 2 × 625 hp (466 kW) electric motors for submergence driving two shafts
Speed	18.5/8 knots (surface/submerged)
Range	10,500 nautical miles (19,450 km) at 11 knots (20 km/h) surfaced; 16 nautical miles (30 km) at 8 knots (15 km/h) or 90 nautical miles (170 km) at 3 knots (6 km/h) submerged;
Test depth	350 ft (110 m)
Complement	60
Armament	6 × 21 inch (533 mm) (2 external) bow torpedo tube, 4 × 21" (2 external) stern torpedo tube, containing a total of 20 torpedoes; Mines: 26; 1 × 4" main deck gun, 3 × 0.303 machine gun, 1 × 20 mm AA Oerlikon 20 mm gun ;

Last updated October 18, 2024

HMS Anchorite (P422/S22), was an Amphion-class submarine of the Royal Navy, built by Vickers Armstrong and launched 22 January 1946.^[1]

Design

Anchorite had a displacement of 1,360 long tons (1,380 t) when at the surface and 1,590 long tons (1,620 t) while submerged. It had a total length of 293 ft 6 in (89.46 m), a beam of 22 feet 4 inches (6.81 m), and a draught of 18 feet 1 inch (5.51 m). The submarine was powered by two Admiralty ML eight-cylinder diesel engines generating 2,150 horsepower (1,600 kW) each. Four electric motors each producing 625 horsepower (466 kW) drove two shafts.^[2] It could carry a maximum of 219 long tons (223 t) of diesel, although it usually carried between 159 and 165 long tons (162 and 168 t).^[2]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 18.5 knots (34.3 km/h) and a submerged speed of 8 knots (15 km/h).^[3] When submerged, it could operate at 3 knots (5.6 km/h) for 90 nautical miles (170 km) or at 8 knots (15 km/h) for 16 nautical miles (30 km). When surfaced, it was able to travel 15,200 nautical miles (28,200 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) or 10,500 nautical miles (19,400 km) at 11 knots (20 km/h).^[2]Anchorite was fitted with ten 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes, one QF 4 inch naval gun Mk XXIII, one Oerlikon 20 mm cannon, and a .303 British Vickers machine gun. Its torpedo tubes were fitted to the bow and stern, and it could carry twenty torpedoes. Its complement was sixty-one crew members.^[2]

Anchorite was laid down at Vickers-Armstrongs' Barrow-in-Furness shipyard on 19 July 1945, was launched on 22 January 1946 and completed on 18 November 1947.^[4]

Service

During build and before launch the names of Anchorite and HMS Amphion were switched. In 1953 she took part in the Fleet Review to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.^[5]

Anchorite ran aground in Rothesay Bay, Firth of Forth, on 12 October 1956.^[6] On 3 October 1960, Anchorite, which was a member of the 4th Submarine Squadron based at Sydney, hit an uncharted rock in the Hauraki Gulf off Auckland, New Zealand at a depth of 110 feet (34 m). No-one was injured in the incident. The submarine's commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander W. L. Owen, was cleared of any blame for the incident to the resulting court martial.^[7]^[8] The rock is now known as Anchorite Rock on the nautical charts of the area at depth, 16 m, 36°26′S175°8′E / 36.433°S 175.133°E / -36.433; 175.133 .^{[ citation needed ]}

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References

↑ "Anchorite". Uboat.net. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
1 2 3 4 Akermann, Paul (1 November 2002). Encyclopedia of British Submarines 1901–1955. Periscope Publishing Ltd. p. 422. ISBN 978-1-904381-05-1.
↑ "Acheron class". World Naval Ships, Cranston Fine Arts. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
↑ Blackman 1962 , p. 275
↑ Souvenir Programme, Coronation Review of the Fleet, Spithead, 15 June 1953, HMSO, Gale and Polden
↑ "Submarine Runs Aground". The Times. No. 53661. London. 13 October 1956. col F, p. 6.
↑ Critchley 1981 , p. 56
↑ "Captain was not to blame". Navy News . December 1960. p. 9. Retrieved 24 August 2018.

Publications

Blackman, Raymond V. B. (1962). Jane's Fighting Ships 1962–63. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co., Ltd. OCLC 973779053.
Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
Critchley, Mike (1981). British Warships Since 1945: Part 2. Liskeard, UK: Maritime Books. ISBN 0-9506323-6-8.

External links

Pictures of HMS Anchorite on MaritimeQuest

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[1] "Anchorite". Uboat.net. Retrieved 20 August 2015.

[Akermann2002-2] 1 2 3 4 Akermann, Paul (1 November 2002). Encyclopedia of British Submarines 1901–1955. Periscope Publishing Ltd. p. 422. ISBN 978-1-904381-05-1.

[3] "Acheron class". World Naval Ships, Cranston Fine Arts. Retrieved 20 August 2015.

[jfs62p275-4] Blackman 1962 , p. 275

[5] Souvenir Programme, Coronation Review of the Fleet, Spithead, 15 June 1953, HMSO, Gale and Polden

[Times131056-6] "Submarine Runs Aground". The Times. No. 53661. London. 13 October 1956. col F, p. 6.

[7] Critchley 1981 , p. 56

[8] "Captain was not to blame". Navy News . December 1960. p. 9. Retrieved 24 August 2018.

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v t e Amphion-class submarines
Completed	Acheron Alcide Alderney Alliance Ambush Auriga Affray Amphion / Anchorite Andrew Aurochs Aeneas Anchorite / Amphion Alaric Astute Artemis Artful
Cancelled	Adept Ace Andromache Answer Antagonist Antaeus Anzac Aphrodite Achates Admirable Approach Arcadian Ardent Argosy Atlantis Agile Asperity Austere Aggressor Agate Abelard Acasta Alcestis Aladdin Aztec Adversary Asgard Awake Astarte Assurance
Preceded by: V class Followed by: Explorer class
List of submarines of the Royal Navy List of submarine classes of the Royal Navy

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1956
Shipwrecks	10 Jan: Sirabuen 10 Feb: Conlea 12 Jun: Warri 25 Jul: Andrea Doria 9 Aug: RFA Wave King 31 Oct: Domiat 20 Nov: USS Hartford 21 Nov: M-200
Other incidents	6 Jan: Esso Appalachee 13 Feb: Egypt ferry accident 18 Mar: USS Willis A. Lee 7 May: USS Eaton, USS Wisconsin 9 May: HMS Talent 24 May: SS Orsova 31 May: Caronia 11 Jul: Dea Mazzella 25 Jul: Stockholm 12 Oct: HMS Anchorite 22 Oct: USS Antietam 31 Oct: Ibrahim-El-Awal 11 Nov: Murre II 14 Nov: Port Victor Unknown date: ARA General Belgrano, ARA Nueve de Julio
1955 1957