HMS Vengeance (S31) explained

HMS Vengeance is the fourth and final of the Royal Navy.[1] Vengeance carries the Trident ballistic missile, the UK's nuclear deterrent.[2] [3]

Vengeance was built at Barrow-in-Furness by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd, later BAE Systems Submarine Solutions, was launched in September 1998, and commissioned in November 1999.[4]

Before she was commissioned, the British Government stated that once the Vanguard submarines became fully operational, they would only carry 200 warheads.

Vengeance carries unopened "last instructions" (letters of last resort) of the current British prime minister that are to be used in the event of a national catastrophe or a nuclear strike; this letter is identical to the letters carried on board the other three submarines of the Vanguard class.[5]

Operational history

On 31 March 2011, while on a training exercise, Vengeance suffered a blockage in her propulsor causing a reduction in propulsion. The boat returned to Faslane naval base on the surface under her own power. According to the MOD the problems were not nuclear related.[6]

In 2012, Vengeance started a 40-month refit at HMNB Devonport near Plymouth[7] which refueled her reactor and renewed her machinery and electronics. During that period her sister ship Vigilant took her place in the patrol rotations.[8] She sailed from Devonport on 4 December 2015, her place in refit being taken by Vanguard.[9] Vengeance then went through trials from January 2016 to June 2016 and fired an unarmed D5 missile during her Demonstration and Shakedown Operation (DASO) which allowed her to return to the fleet. Whilst the firing of the missile was a success, the missile itself suffered a failure during flight and the test was terminated.[10] [11]

In March 2024, Vengeance completed a 201-day deployment, the second-longest submarine deployment in the Royal Navy's history.[12]

Affiliations

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Saunders, Stephen . Jane's Fighting Ships, 2004–2005 . Jane's Information Group Limited . 2004 . 0-7106-2623-1 . 794 . en.
  2. Web site: Vanguard class submarine . https://web.archive.org/web/20160315161033/https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/the-equipment/submarines/ballistic-submarines/vanguard-ballistic . 15 March 2016 . 2 May 2023 . Royal Navy.
  3. News: 3 April 2011 . HMS Vengeance nuclear sub returns home after power loss . . 20 June 2018 . 15 October 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181015192800/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-12951401 . live .
  4. Web site: The Current British Arsenal . 30 April 2001 . The Nuclear Weapon Archive - A Guide to Nuclear Weapons . 23 February 2007.
  5. Book: Hennessy, Peter . Peter Hennessy . Cabinets and the Bomb . Oxford . Oxford University Press . 2007 . 978-0-19-726422-5. Reviewed on Web site: Start the Week . . 5 November 2007 . 9 October 2017 . 20 December 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181220034836/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0084yfg . live .
  6. News: Trident sub crippled in accident . Rob . Edwards . . Glasgow . 3 April 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110812134856/http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/trident-sub-crippled-in-accident-1.1094250 . 12 August 2011.
  7. Web site: 26 March 2012 . HMS Vengeance: 350m sub refit 'to secure 2,000 jobs' . 24 September 2015 . . 13 August 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150813175526/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17506413 . live .
  8. Web site: Farewell Vengeance, hello Vigilant, as submarines trade places in £600m revamp . Royal Navy . 1 March 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130311013554/http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/News-and-Events/Latest-News/2012/March/01/120301-Farewell-Vengeance . 11 March 2013.
  9. Nuke sub HMS Vengeance leaves Devonport . Daryl . Crowther . Combat & Survival . 4 December 2015 . 13 March 2016 . 13 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160313124857/http://www.combatandsurvival.com/uk-news/6082-nuke-sub-hms-vengeance-leaves-devonport/ . dead .
  10. News: . No 10 covered up Trident missile fiasco . The Sunday Times . London . 2017-01-22 . 2019-01-07 . 8 January 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190108010856/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/no-10-covered-up-trident-missile-fiasco-hch3shsrn . live .
  11. Web site: Royal Navy Trident Missile 'Malfunction' Prompts Claims of U.K. Government Cover-Up . Rosamund . Jon . 2017-01-25 . USNI News . 2019-01-07 . 7 January 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190107233029/https://news.usni.org/2017/01/25/royal-navy-trident-missile-malfunction-prompts-claims-u-k-government-cover . live .
  12. News: HMS Vengeance: Vanguard-class submarine's secret monster deployment beneath the waves . 21 March 2024 . . 21 March 2024.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "HMS Vengeance (S31)".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.