Vanguard class (1992)
 HMS Vengeance
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The Vanguard- class is a class of nuclear submarines of the Royal Navy's Submarine Service , used for nuclear deterrence . As ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), they are the modern Trident -D5- ICBMs equipped.
history
construction
In the 1980s, the British Royal Navy was looking for a replacement for its Resolution -class strategic submarines . Vickers Shipbuilding was then commissioned to design and build the new SSBN submarines. A total of four SSBNs were built at Barrow-in-Furness .
Two of the submarines are regularly on the move around the world, while the others are based in Faslane-on-Clyde , Scotland . In addition to nuclear deterrence, they are also used for reconnaissance and can also carry out attacks on other ships with additional torpedoes .
After the publication of a new white paper in 1998, which took into account the end of the Cold War , the operational doctrine was changed to the effect that only a maximum of 48 nuclear warheads were on board. According to the last White Paper of October 2010, this amount has since been further reduced to a maximum of 40 warheads carried. Since then, there have only been eight instead of 16 missiles on board, and the total number of warheads has been reduced accordingly by 45 to a maximum of 180.
future
On December 4, 2006, Prime Minister Tony Blair announced that the Vanguard- class would be replaced by a successor model between 2023 and 2027. In doing so, he rejected calls for the Vanguard class to stop purchasing new nuclear weapons. The number of warheads is to be reduced from the current 200 to 160, and the number of submarines from four to three. The current Trident missiles are to continue to be used until around 2040, according to the United States' time schedule for a successor model. The Department of Defense puts the cost of the new submarines at £ 15 to 20 billion.
The new coalition government under Prime Minister David Cameron , which was in office from mid-2010 to mid-2016 , initially essentially confirmed these long-term plans in its October 2010 White Paper. In July 2016, the British Parliament finally decided by a large majority to replace the four submarines. The cost of this is put at 31 to 41 billion pounds (37 to 48 billion euros).
Accidents
In February 2009 the lead ship of the class, the HMS Vanguard , collided in the Atlantic Ocean with the French submarine Le Triomphant , the lead ship of the Triomphant class . After the collision, the nuclear submarines did not appear to pose any serious threat. The Vanguard returned to the naval base Faslane-on-Clyde in Scotland with visible damage to the hull , the Le Triomphant ran at Brest in western France.
technology
The class is powered by a pressurized water reactor . In the summer of 2003, the Vanguard was the first of the four submarines to be equipped with a new type of fuel element known as the "Core H". According to the Royal Navy, this means that the reactors no longer have to be refilled until the submarines are no longer in service.
The armament makes it possible to attack several targets at the same time. The nuclear warheads used individually have about eight times the destructive power of the Hiroshima bomb . In the event of a missile launching multiple warheads, all must be equipped with targets.
units
| Identifier | Surname | Shipyard | Launch | In service | Whereabouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S28 | HMS Vanguard | Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering | March 4th 1992 | August 14, 1993 | active |
| S29 | HMS Victorious | Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering | 29th September 1993 | January 7, 1995 | active |
| S30 | HMS Vigilant | Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering | October 14, 1995 | November 2, 1996 | active |
| S31 | HMS Vengeance | Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering | September 19, 1998 | November 27, 1999 | active |
See also
- List of ships of the British Royal Navy
- For protests against the Vanguard class see: Trident Plowshares
- Letters of Last Resort
literature
- Ministry of Defense (ed.): The Royal Navy Handbook . Conway Maritime Press, London 2003. ISBN 0-85177-952-2
Web links
- Official site of the Vanguard class (English)
Footnotes
- ↑ Armaments: Great Britain decides to renew its nuclear submarines billions . Time online. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
- ^ British Parliament Votes to Spend Big on Nukes . foreignpolicy.com. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
- ↑ Royal Navy: HMS Vanguard , February 16, 2009
- ↑ BBC: Nuclear subs collide in Atlantic , February 16, 2009