HMS Vengeance (S31)
 Vanguard, sister ship to Vengeance |
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| Career (UK) |  |
|---|---|
| Laid down: | 1 February 1993[1] |
| Launched: | 19 September 1998[1] |
| Commissioned: | 27 November 1999[1] |
| In service: | 12 February 2001[2] |
| Homeport: | HMNB Clyde |
| Fate: | In active service, as of 2011 |
| Badge: |  |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class and type: | Vanguard-class submarine |
| Displacement: | Dived: 15,900 long tons (16,200 t) |
| 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: | Dived: 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph) |
| Range: | Unlimited distance; 20-25 years |
| Complement: | 14 officers 121 enlisted |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
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| Electronic warfare and decoys: |
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| Armament: |
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HMS Vengeance is the fourth and final Vanguard-class submarine of the Royal Navy. Vengeance carries the Trident ballistic missile, the UK's nuclear deterrent.[3]
Vengeance was built at Barrow-in-Furness by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd (now BAE Systems Submarine Solutions), was launched in September 1998, and commissioned in November 1999.
Before she was commissioned, the British Government stated that once the Vanguard submarines became fully operational, they would only carry 200 warheads.
Vengeance carries the 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.[4]
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[edit] 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.[5][6]
[edit] Affiliations
[edit] General characteristics
- Displacement: 16,000 tons submerged
- Propulsion: Rolls-Royce PWR2 reactor, two GEC turbines, single shaft, pump jet propulsor
- Electrical Power: two Paxman diesel generators, two WH Allen turbogenerators
- Speed: 25 knots (46 km/h) submerged
- Complement: 14 officers, 121 men
- Strategic Armament: 16 Lockheed Trident II D5 ballistic missiles
- Defensive Armament: four 533 mm (21-inch) torpedo tubes, Spearfish torpedoes
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Jane's Fighting Ships, 2004-2005. Jane's Information Group Limited. p. 794. ISBN 0-7106-2623-1.
- ^ "The Current British Arsenal". The Nuclear Weapon Archive - A Guide to Nuclear Weapons. http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Uk/UKArsenalRecent.html. Retrieved 2007-02-23.
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-12951401
- ^ Cabinets and the Bomb by Peter Hennnessy, published for the British Academy by Oxford University Press reviewed on BBC Radio 4, Start the Week
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-12951401
- ^ http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/trident-sub-crippled-in-accident-1.1094250
[edit] External links
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