Themes

Article Highlights

• Introduction

• What happens at a fleet review

• When do fleet reviews take place?

• Early 20th century reviews

• 1937 Coronation Fleet Review

• 1953 Coronation Fleet Review

• 1977 Silver Jubilee Fleet Review

• 2005 Fleet Review

1953 Coronation Fleet Review

During the 1953 review the Royal Navy displayed the greatest number of submarines ever shown at such an event. 28 submarines and 4 submarine depot ships were present which represented over 50% of the Royal Navy’s submarine force. The Royal Navy now actually considered the submarine a more effective anti-submarine weapon than the existing, traditional anti-submarine ships. The high proportion of submarines displayed demonstrated a show of power in response to the threat of the rapidly increasing number of Soviet submarines.

Newspaper journalists at the time reported that the submarines were the most impressive naval vessels at the review. They particularly noted that, unlike the ships, the shape of the submarines appeared to alter when the crew assembled on the deck.

For the first time at a fleet review a senior naval submariner, known as the ‘Flag Officer Submarine’, was present on board a ship in Line F. This was traditionally where the most prestigious and important vessels anchored as well as being the first line passed by the Royal Yacht.

To learn about the 1977 Silver Jubilee Fleet Review, select Next