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HMS Vanguard (S28)

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For other ships with the same name, see HMS Vanguard.

HMS Vanguard at Faslane
History
United Kingdom
NameHMS Vanguard
Ordered30 May 1986
BuilderVickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd, Barrow-in-Furness
Laid down3 September 1986
Launched4 March 1992
Sponsored byDiana, Princess of Wales
Commissioned14 August 1993
HomeportHMNB Clyde, Argyll, Scotland
StatusIn active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeVanguard-class submarine
Displacement15,900 tonnes, submerged
Length149.9 m (491 ft 10 in)
Beam12.8 m (42 ft 0 in)
Draught12 m (39 ft 4 in)
PropulsionTemplate:Vanguard-class submarine propulsion
SpeedIn excess of 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph), submerged
RangeOnly limited by food and maintenance requirements.
Complement135
Sensors and
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
  • Two SSE Mk10 launchers for Type 2066 and Type 2071 torpedo decoys
  • RESM Racal UAP passive intercept
Armament

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

Entry into service

The submarine's first commanding officer was Captain David Russell and the senior engineer officer, during build, was Commander James Grant OBE.

Refit

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

Main article: HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant submarine collision

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, but was 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

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

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

References

  1. ^ "Vanguard class submarine". Royal Navy.
  2. ^ Jane's Fighting Ships, 2004-2005. Jane's Information Group Limited. p. 794. ISBN 0-7106-2623-1.
  3. ^ "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. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  4. ^ "HMS VANGUARD COMMISSIONING CEREMONY WITH HRH DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES, BARROW-IN-FURNESS, 14 AUGUST 1993 [Allocated Title]". Imperial War Museums. 14 August 1993. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  5. ^ "Trident pair deny criminal damage". BBC News. 13 March 2003.
  6. ^ Williams, Rachel (16 February 2009). "Nuclear submarines collide in Atlantic". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
  7. ^ a b "Vanguard (S28)". rnsubs.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  8. ^ "Nuclear subs collide in Atlantic". BBC News. 16 February 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  9. ^ "Nuclear submarine to get new core after test reactor problem". BBC News. 6 March 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  10. ^ Maddox, David (8 March 2014). "MoD accused of Dounreay radiation leak cover-up". The Scotsman. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  11. ^ Allison, George (17 July 2022). "Trident missile-armed submarine HMS Vanguard re-joins fleet". Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  12. ^ "HMS Vanguard finally sails from Devonport after refit lasting more than 7 years | Navy Lookout". www.navylookout.com. 10 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Royal Navy orders investigation into nuclear submarine 'repaired with glue'". the Guardian. 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  14. ^ "'Defect' found during nuclear submarine maintenance". BBC News. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  15. ^ "Reports glue used to fix broken bolt heads on HMS Vanguard nuclear submarine". Forces Network. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  16. ^ Picksley, Dominic (31 January 2023). "Shoddy super glue repair to Trident submarine left officials fuming, say reports". mirror. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  17. ^ S, Tom; ers (31 January 2023). "Nuclear submarine 'repaired with super glue' sparking Trident alert". Metro. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
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