| HMS Aurochs (P426) | |
|---|---|
| Career |  |
| Name: | HMS Aurochs (P426) |
| Namesake: | aurochs |
| Ordered: | Very late in World War II |
| Builder: | Vickers Armstrong, Barrow-in-Furness |
| Laid down: | 21 June 1944 |
| Launched: | 28 July 1945 |
| Commissioned: | 7 February 1947 |
| Fate: | Sold for scrap on 7 February 1967. Scrapped at Troon, Scotland in February 1967. |
| 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 (1,600 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 (19,400 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 (5.6 km/h) submerged |
| Test depth: | 350 ft (110 m) |
| Complement: | 5 officers 55 enlisted |
| Armament: |
6 × 21" (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 |
HMS Aurochs (P426), was an Amphion-class submarine of the Royal Navy, built by Vickers Armstrong and launched 28 July 1945.[1] Her namesake was the aurochs (Bos primigenius), an extinct Eurasian wild ox ancestral to domestic cattle and often portrayed in cave art and heraldry.
Operational history[]
In 1953 she took part in the Fleet Review to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.[2]
On 17 May 1958 Aurochs was patrolling the Molucca Sea off Indonesia when an unidentified aircraft machine-gunned her.[3] The aircraft remained at high altitude and Aurochs sustained no casualties or damage.[3] President Sukarno's Indonesian government told the UK's Conservative Government that its armed forces had not made the attack.[3] The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office stated that it accepted the assurance and assumed that North Celebes rebels had carried out the attack.[3]
It is true that Permesta rebels in North Sulawesi were supported by a "Revolutionary Air Force", AUREV (Angkatan Udara Revolusioner).[4] However, all AUREV aircraft, munitions and pilots were supplied by the Nationalist Chinese air force[5] or the CIA.[6] Two CIA pilots, William H Beale, Jr[7] and Allen Pope,[8] had been using Douglas B-26 Invader aircraft to attack Indonesian and foreign targets in the area since April 1958. By 17 May Beale had quit the operation,[9] but Pope continued to fly sorties until the day after Aurochs was attacked, 18 May, when he tried to attack an Indonesian Navy convoy[10] but was shot down[11] and captured.[12]
Commanding officers[]
| From | To | Captain | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 1953 | Lieutenant-Commander A G Tait DSC RN | 1957 | 1959 | Lieutenant-Commander C.A.J.French RN | 1968 | 1968 |
References[]
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur (1995-2011). "HMS Aurochs (P426)". uboat.net. Guðmundur Helgason. http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3643.html. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
- ↑ Souvenir Programme, Coronation Review of the Fleet, Spithead, 15 June 1953, HMSO, Gale and Polden
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "11 June 1958" United Kingdom: Commons col. 202–203 http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1958/jun/11/indonesia-british-vessels#S5CV0589P0_19580611_HOC_160. Retrieved 2011-11-21
- ↑ Conboy & Morrison 1999, p. 85.
- ↑ Conboy & Morrison 1999, pp. 101,105.
- ↑ Conboy & Morrison 1999, pp. 86–87.
- ↑ Conboy & Morrison 1999, p. 99.
- ↑ Conboy & Morrison 1999, p. 100.
- ↑ Conboy & Morrison 1999, p. 125.
- ↑ Conboy & Morrison 1999, pp. 136–137.
- ↑ Conboy & Morrison 1999, pp. 138–139.
- ↑ Conboy & Morrison 1999, pp. 140–141.
Sources[]
- Conboy, Kenneth; Morrison, James (1999). Feet to the Fire CIA Covert Operations in Indonesia, 1957–1958. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-193-9.
External links[]
The original article can be found at HMS Aurochs (P426) and the edit history here.