The Amphion class were ordered by the British Admiralty in 1943, upon the realisation that the new Pacific theatre of war following the attack on Pearl Harbor needed a new type of submarine.

They were originally designed to replace the S-class and T-class submarines, which were too slow and unable to dive deep enough to be suited to Pacific waters during World War II.

They had a high, flared bow for excellent sea performance and had effective air conditioning, essential for Far East submarine operations.

The class was designed for quick construction, using an entirely welded hull which could be fabricated in sections, a technique new to Britain but standard for Nazi Germany's U-boats.

During the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation in the mid-1960s, some Amphion-class submarines were fitted with either a QF 4-inch Mk XXIII gun or a single 20mm autocannon to counter blockade running junks.