HMS Vanguard (S28)
![]() HMS Vanguard at Faslane
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History | |
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Name | HMS Vanguard |
Ordered | 30 May 1986 |
Builder | Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd, Barrow-in-Furness |
Laid down | 3 September 1986 |
Launched | 4 March 1992 |
Sponsored by | Diana, Princess of Wales |
Commissioned | 14 August 1993 |
Homeport | HMNB Clyde, Argyll, Scotland |
Status | In active service |
Badge | ![]() |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Vanguard-class submarine |
Displacement | 15,900 tonnes, submerged |
Length | 149.9 m (491 ft 10 in) |
Beam | 12.8 m (42 ft 0 in) |
Draught | 12 m (39 ft 4 in) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | In excess of 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph), submerged |
Range | Only limited by food and maintenance requirements. |
Complement | 135 |
Sensors and processing systems |
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Electronic warfare & decoys |
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Armament |
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The eleventh HMS Vanguard of the Royal Navy is the lead boat of her class of Trident ballistic missile-armed submarines.[1][2] The submarine is based at Faslane, HMNB Clyde, Argyll, Scotland.
Vanguard was built at Barrow-in-Furness by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd, later BAE Systems Submarine Solutions, was launched on 4 March 1992, and commissioned on 14 August 1993 in the presence of Diana, Princess of Wales.[3][4]
Operational history
[edit]![]() | This section needs to be updated.(May 2020) |
Entry into service
[edit]The submarine's first commanding officer was Captain David Russell and the senior engineer officer, during build, was Commander James Grant OBE.
Refit
[edit]In February 2002, Vanguard began a two-year refit at HMNB Devonport. The refit was completed in June 2004 and in October 2005, Vanguard completed her return to service trials (Demonstration and Shakedown Operations) with the firing of an unarmed Trident missile. During this refit, Vanguard was boarded by a pair of anti-nuclear protesters who spent half an hour on board before being challenged. They were charged with damaging a fence which they cut to access the submarine.[5]
Collision with Le Triomphant
[edit]On 4 February 2009, Vanguard collided with the French submarine Le Triomphant in the Atlantic.[6][7] On February 6 the French Ministry of Armed Forces reported that Triomphant had "collided with an immersed object". The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence initially would not comment on the incident, which was however confirmed on February 16 by First Sea Lord Sir Jonathon Band. Vanguard had returned to HMNB Clyde in Scotland under her own power two days prior.[8] Band stated that the collision had occurred at slow speed, and that there had been no injuries. However, both vessels had been damaged. Vanguard received damage to the outer casing in the area of the missile compartment, requiring repairs.
Overhaul and refueling
[edit]In January 2012 radiation was detected in the PWR2 test reactor's coolant water, caused by a microscopic breach in fuel cladding. This discovery led to Vanguard being scheduled to be refuelled in its next "deep maintenance period", due to last 3.5 years from 2015, and contingency measures being applied to other Vanguard and Astute-class submarines, at a cost of £270 million. This was not revealed to the public until 2014.[9][10]
Vanguard eventually returned to active service in July 2022 after spending almost 7 years undergoing refit.[11] On 16 August 2022 Vanguard was rededicated into the Royal Navy in a ceremony held at HMNB Devonport,[7] and on 9 May 2023 she left for sea.[12]
Glued bolts during overhaul
[edit]In February 2023, the Royal Navy began investigating claims that broken bolts for the reactor chamber on Vanguard had insufficiently been repaired using glue, during her seven year refit.[13][14] After the heads of several bolts had been sheared off after being over-tightened, workers for defence firm Babcock had allegedly glued the heads on the bolts back on, rather than completely replacing the bolts.[15] The glued bolts held insulation in place on the coolant pipes for the nuclear reactor, and were found shortly prior to activation of the reactor.[16]
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace demanded a meeting and “assurances about future work” after The Sun reported on the issue. Babcock is one of the United Kingdom's largest defence contractors, with contracts for the maintenance of both the Royal Navy's Astute-class and Vanguard-class submarine fleets. Labour Party shadow secretary of state for defence John Healey stated that "the Defence Secretary must make sure contractors are delivering maintenance to this critical capability safely, on time and on-budget.".[17]
See also
[edit]- Letters of last resort
- List of submarines of the Royal Navy
- List of submarine classes of the Royal Navy
- Nuclear weapons and the United Kingdom
- Royal Navy Submarine Service
- Submarine-launched ballistic missile
- Trident nuclear programme
References
[edit]- ^ "Vanguard class submarine". Royal Navy. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
- ^ Jane's Fighting Ships, 2004-2005. Jane's Information Group Limited. p. 794. ISBN 0-7106-2623-1.
- ^ "HMS VANGUARD NAMING CEREMONY WITH HRH DIANA THE PRINCESS OF WALES, BARROW-IN-FURNESS, 30 APRIL 1992 [Allocated Title]". Imperial War Museums. 30 April 1992. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- ^ "HMS VANGUARD COMMISSIONING CEREMONY WITH HRH DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES, BARROW-IN-FURNESS, 14 AUGUST 1993 [Allocated Title]". Imperial War Museums. 14 August 1993. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- ^ "Trident pair deny criminal damage". BBC News. 13 March 2003. Archived from the original on 22 February 2009. Retrieved 17 February 2009.
- ^ Williams, Rachel (16 February 2009). "Nuclear submarines collide in Atlantic". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 6 September 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
- ^ a b "Vanguard (S28)". rnsubs.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "Nuclear subs collide in Atlantic". BBC News. 16 February 2009. Archived from the original on 19 November 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
- ^ "Nuclear submarine to get new core after test reactor problem". BBC News. 6 March 2014. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
- ^ Maddox, David (8 March 2014). "MoD accused of Dounreay radiation leak cover-up". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
- ^ Allison, George (17 July 2022). "Trident missile-armed submarine HMS Vanguard re-joins fleet". Archived from the original on 17 July 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ "HMS Vanguard finally sails from Devonport after refit lasting more than 7 years | Navy Lookout". www.navylookout.com. 10 May 2023. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- ^ "Royal Navy orders investigation into nuclear submarine 'repaired with glue'". the Guardian. 1 February 2023. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "'Defect' found during nuclear submarine maintenance". BBC News. 31 January 2023. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "Reports glue used to fix broken bolt heads on HMS Vanguard nuclear submarine". Forces Network. 31 January 2023. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ Picksley, Dominic (31 January 2023). "Shoddy super glue repair to Trident submarine left officials fuming, say reports". mirror. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ Sanders, Tom (31 January 2023). "Nuclear submarine 'repaired with super glue' sparking Trident alert". Metro. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
External links
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Royal Navy HMS Vanguard (royalnavy.mod.uk)