The submarine pictured is HMS Aurochs, an A class submarine built by Vickers Armstrongat Barrow in Furness. She was launchedon 28 July 1945 and commissioned on 7 February 1947, too late for service inWorld WarIi.
A Class submarines were designed for service in the Pacific, with air conditioning for greater comfort and endurance, although those of us who served on A Class boats might not agree about the level of comfort! Their all-welded hull and pre-fabrication construction allowed speedybuild times. They were manned by acrew of about 60.
Apart from HMSAffray, which was lost with all hands in the English Channelin 1951, Aurochs was the only A class not to be modernised during the late 1950s.
While serving in the Far East, Aurochs was attacked, while surfaced, by an unidentified aircraft. There were no casualties on the submarine. HMS Aurochs was decommissionedin 1966.
Steve Buttle, Hythe, Hampshire
