Trafalgar class (1981)

*Trafalgar* class
	HMS Tireless at the North Pole
Ship data
country	United Kingdom
Ship type	Nuclear submarine hunting submarine SSN
Shipyard	Vickers , Barrow-in-Furness
Construction period	1977 to 1986
Launch of the type ship	July 1, 1981
Units built	7th
period of service	December 1982 until probably 2022
Ship dimensions and crew
length	85.4 m ( Lüa )
width	9.8 m
Draft	Max. 8.2 m
displacement	surfaced: 4,780 t ; submerged: 5,210 t
crew	130 men
Machine system
machine	PWR1 nuclear reactor; 2 steam turbines
Machine ; performance	15,000 PS (11,032 kW)
propeller	1 jet ring propeller
Mission data submarine
Top ; speed ; submerged	32 kn (59 km / h)
Armament
	5 × torpedo tube ∅ 53.3 cm; Spearfish and Tigerfish torpedoes; UGM-84 Harpoon; BGM-109 Tomahawk;

The nuclear-powered attack submarines of the Trafalgar class are since 1982 in the British Royal Navy in service. They were built by Vickers (now BAE Systems ) in Barrow-in-Furness, England. Their home port is the Devonport Naval Base near Plymouth .

The Trafalgar- class boats were ordered in 1978 to complement the Swiftsure- class submarines . Your primary task should be the pursuit and combat of Soviet submarines and warships. After the end of the Cold War , the submarines were increasingly used as escorts for British convoys. In 1999, the HMS Trafalgar was converted for the use of Tomahawk cruise missiles as the first submarine in its class . These were first used during the Afghan war. Two Trafalgar- class submarines were also in service in the Persian Gulf during the 2003 Iraq War . The main task of the submarines, however, continues to be the reconnaissance and escort protection for British warships, especially for the aircraft carriers of the Invincible class .

technology

The submarines are powered by a PWR1 pressurized water reactor. In contrast to the Swiftsure class, which is driven by a conventional propeller, the Trafalgar class has a so-called nozzle ring propeller , which turns much slower at the same speed and is therefore considerably quieter. At the Trafalgar , this drive system was retrofitted later because it was not yet available during the construction of the boat.

The youngest four submarines of the Trafalgar class have been brought up to date with the latest technology since 2001 . The previous Sonar Type 2020 will be exchanged for the highly developed Type 2076 . With this, the submarines are able to locate an object at a distance of over 100 km. A modernization of the drive should further reduce the noise development. The core of the program is the equipment with modern control rooms and communication facilities. The total cost of retrofitting the four submarines is around one billion euros .

As a result of the modernization, the Trafalgar class should be as powerful as the Astute class , which has been in service since 2010. It will replace the seven Trafalgar- class submarines by 2022 . The remaining submarines are to be decommissioned between 2019 and 2022.

units

The class was initially based in Devonport for three decades . The two youngest still active boats have been stationed in Faslane-on-Clyde since 2019 and 2020 respectively .

Identifier	Surname	Keel laying	Launch	Commissioning	Decommissioning
S107	HMS Trafalgar	April 25, 1979	July 1, 1981	May 27, 1983	4th December 2009
S87	HMS Turbulent	May 8, 1980	1st December 1982	1st December 1982	July 14, 2012
S88	HMS Tireless	June 6, 1981	March 17, 1984	5th October 1985	19th June 2014
S90	HMS Torbay	3rd December 1982	March 8, 1985	February 7, 1987	July 14, 2017
S91	HMS Trenchant	October 28, 1985	3rd November 1986	January 14, 1989
S92	HMS talent	May 13, 1986	April 15, 1988	May 12, 1990
S93	HMS triumph	2nd February 1987	February 16, 1991	October 2, 1991