Ordered 7 April 1943 Commissioned 23 February 1948 Construction started 8 June 1944 Length 89 m | Laid down 8 June 1944 Decommissioned September 1969 Launched 22 May 1947 Draft 5.51 m | |
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Fate Sold to be broken up for scrap, 16 June 1972.
Broken up at Cairnryan, June 1972 Class and type Amphion-class submarine Builder Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company | ||
HMS Artful (P456), was an Amphion-class submarine of the Royal Navy, built by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company of Greenock and launched 22 May 1944.
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In 1953 she took part in the Fleet Review to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. In 1955 she was the first of her class to be rebuilt and streamlined. In 1966 she completed a refit and recommissioned for service with the Home Fleet. In 1967 she undertook a Home Fleet Squadron tour to the West Indies and later that year attended Portsmouth Navy Days.
Design
Like all Amphion-class submarines, Artful had a displacement of 1,360 tonnes (1,500 short tons) when at the surface and 1,590 tonnes (1,750 short tons) while submerged. It had a total length of 293 feet 6 inches (89.46 m), a beam length of 22 feet 4 inches (6.81 m), and a draught length of 18 feet 1 inch (5.51 m). The submarine was powered by two Admiralty ML eight-cylinder diesel engines generating a power of 2,150 horsepower (1,600 kW) each. It also contained four electric motors each producing 625 horsepower (466 kW) that drove two shafts. It could carry a maximum of 219 tonnes (241 short tons) of diesel, although it usually carried between 159 and 165 tonnes (175 and 182 short tons).
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 18.5 knots (34.3 km/h; 21.3 mph) and a submerged speed of 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph). When submerged, it could operate at 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) for 90 nautical miles (170 km; 100 mi) or at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) for 16 nautical miles (30 km; 18 mi). When surfaced, it was able to travel 15,200 nautical miles (28,200 km; 17,500 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) or 10,500 nautical miles (19,400 km; 12,100 mi) at 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph). Artful was fitted with ten 21 inches (530 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.