RN Subs

Astute (P447)

Astute after her refit in 1949

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Following 'Work Up' she was allocated to the 3rd Submarine Flotilla. In August 1946 she left Portsmouth for Gibraltar and onward routeing to the Pacific to join the 4th Submarine Flotilla, British Pacific Fleet. She served with the latter until early 1948, arriving back in the UK in March and in June she visited Norway.

HMS Astute was lent to the Royal Canadian Navy for a short period in 1950. She arrived in Halifax in April and returned to the UK in July, joining the 5th Submarine Flotilla on return and later in the year the 3rd Submarine Flotilla. She went to Portsmouth for a refit in September 1951, which completed in April 1952.

In July she was allocated to the 5th Submarine Squadron. On Coronation Day (2nd June 1953) when many HM Ships made visits to places in the UK, the Astute went to East India Docks. She was also one of 28 submarines in the Coronation Naval Review at Spithead on 15th June. In September she took part in Exercise 'Mariner', a test of the organisation of naval and air forces of NATO Commands in the Atlantic, Channel and Europe. Three hundred ships and one thousand aircraft were involved.

HMS Astute went to Devonport in March 1954 to await refit. This was followed by various trials. In March 1955 she was allocated to the 6th Submarine Squadron based at Halifax, Nova Scotia, to provide for anti-submarine training for the Royal Canadian Navy. She arrived there in April, and remained with the Squadron until December 1956. During this period she operated mainly in the Bermuda and Gulf Stream areas with ships of the Royal Canadian Navy.

Following a refit which was completed on March 1958 the Astute was allocated to the 3rd Submarine Squadron. In September she took part in a NATO exercise, and in March 1959 a national Fleet exercise in Home waters.

She was lent to the 6th Submarine Squadron, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, for a few months in the latter half of 1959, returning to the UK at the end of the year when she joined the 3rd Submarine Squadron.

She was refitted at Devonport, and following completion in April 1961, joined the 2nd Submarine Flotilla. In August she was again allocated to the 6th Submarine Division in Canada, serving there until early 1963.

HMS Astute joined the 2nd Submarine Squadron of the Home Submarine Flotilla, based at Devonport in February 1964, following a refit. She visited Hamburg in August with the submarine Truncheon and ships of the 20th Frigate Squadron. She was in an exercise in January 1965.

In June of that year she was ordered for detached service in the Middle East. For a short period in August she served with the 7th Submarine Squadron, Far East Fleet, based at Singapore. She took part in three exercises while with Middle East Command, returning via the Suez Canal to reach Devonport at the end of the year, when she again joined the 2nd Submarine Flotilla.

Early in 1966 HMS Astute was allocated to the 1st Submarine Flotilla based at Portsmouth. She visited Kiel in April and began a refit at Devonport in August. This was not completed until September 1967. In April 1968 she was among the ships which visited Zeebrugge to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the raid on the mole on St George's Day 1918. During September she took part in a major NATO exercise 'Silver Tower', when national maritime forces demonstrated their ability to integrate rapidly and efficiently into an effective defence organisation. Two visits were made in this year, to Oslo in October and Lorient in December.

HMS Astute was allocated to the 2nd Submarine Division in January 1969, based at Devonport. In April and May she took part in a NATO exercise in the Eastern Atlantic area to provide training in anti-submarine warfare. She was at Malta in October and visited Izmir from 4th to 7th November. A few days later she was in a tactical exercise in the Mediterranean. At the end of the year approval was given for the Astute to reduce to the Disposal List for scrapping.

She was sold, for scrapping, in September 1970.

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