HMS Affray
Marker: recorded wreck position (Date not recorded).
Key facts
| Name | HMS Affray | Wikidata label |
|---|---|---|
| Ship type | submarine | Wikidata P31 instance of |
| Nationality / flag | United Kingdom | Wikidata P137 operator → P17 country |
| Operator | Royal Navy | Wikidata P137 operator |
| Sea / ocean | English Channel | Natural Earth marine areas (public domain), point-in-polygon |
| Nearest coast | Guernsey | Natural Earth (public domain); approx. 67 km from land |
| Position | 49.5000, -3.5667 | Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0) |
About the wreck
HMS Affray was a British Amphion-class submarine. Affray was built in the closing stages of the Second World War. She was one of 16 submarines of her class which were originally designed for use in the Pacific Ocean against Japan.
She was the last Royal Navy submarine to be lost at sea, on 16 April 1951, with the loss of 75 lives.
Diving & visiting
On 14 June HMS Loch Fyne made the initial asdic contact on the very edge of Hurds Deep, a deep underwater valley in the English Channel, and made the first notification to the Admiralty. It was the same location where an oil slick had been sighted at the same time Affray vanished and was in an area that had been searched before. HMS Reclaim arrived several hours later after an excited call from the Captain of Loch Insh who, as an ex-submariner, was convinced this was Affray. HMS Reclaim subsequently investigated using Rosse Stamp's new waterproof camera.
On 24 January 2012 the circumstances of the sinking and its effects on families of survivors were debated in parliament with questions from Tim Farron to Nick Harvey. The debate highlighted the existence of the Affray Submarine Memorial Fund and the experiences of Mrs June Tower, widow of crew member John Treleaven. The trustees of the fund are the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, the mayor of Gosport and the Public Trustee. The fund assisted with the erection of a memorial plaque in Saint Anne, Alderney that was unveiled 16 April 2012.
Location
- Recorded position: 49.5000, -3.5667 (Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0); may be approximate)
- Sea / ocean: English Channel
- Nearest coast: Guernsey
Wreck positions on this site are for interest only and are not for navigation. Many wrecks are war graves or legally protected: never disturb human remains or remove artefacts, and check local law before diving.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article HMS Affray (revision 1376012917), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section and section(s) “Discovery”, “Parliamentary debate, Affray Fund and memorial”; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations and formatting removed. No text added. This excerpt is available under the same licence.
Wreck facts from Wikidata (CC0).
Nearby wrecks
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Browse more: UK & Ireland wrecks · wrecks off Guernsey · English Channel