Royal Navy Submarine Service
Royal Navy Submarine Service | ||
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The Royal Navy Submarine Service is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. It is sometimes known as the Silent Service, as submarines are generally required to operate undetected.[2]
The service operates six fleet submarines (SSNs), of the Trafalgar and Astute classes (with two further Astute-class boats currently under construction), and four ballistic missile submarines (SSBN), of the Vanguard class. All of these submarines are nuclear powered.
Since 1993 the post of Flag Officer Submarines has been dual-hatted with the post of Commander Operations.
The Royal Navy's senior submariner was for many years located at HMS Dolphin in Hampshire.[3] It moved from Dolphin to the Northwood Headquarters in 1978.[4] The Submarine School is now at HMS Raleigh at Torpoint in Cornwall.
History
In 1900 the Royal Navy ordered five submarines from Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering of Barrow-in-Furness, designed by Electric Boat Company. The following year the first submarine, Holland 1, was launched, and the navy recruited six officers for the Submarine Service, under Reginald Bacon as Inspecting Captain of Submarines. At the beginning of World War I it consisted of 168 officers, 1,250 ratings, and 62 submarines.[5] During the war it was awarded five of the Royal Navy's 14 Victoria Crosses of the war, the first was to Lieutenant Norman Holbrook, commanding officer of B11,for passing through minefields to sink the Ottoman warship Mesudiye.
Late in the war, the Royal Navy introduced the large K-class submarines. In order to be fast enough to operate alongside the battlefleet, they used steam propulsion while surfaced. En route to a training exercise with the fleet in a disaster, afterwards nicknamed "the battle of May Island", two K-class submarines were sunk, with death of most of their crew, and three more and a light cruiser damaged.
Second World War
At the start of the war, the Royal Navy had 60 submarines with another nine under construction. By August 1945 a further 178 had been commissioned and 76 had been lost to all causes, the majority of the losses in the Mediterranean.[6] In the Mediterranean (during the
One of the most famous Mediterranean submarines was
On 8 September 1944, C-in-C Mediterranean ordered that the submarine base at La Maddalena be closed, and that Tenth Flotilla be disestablished and the submarines be incorporated into the First Submarine Flotilla at Malta.[12]
Cold War
The submarine force was cut back after the end of the war. The first British nuclear-powered submarine,
In 1978 the Flag Officer Submarines double-hatted as
HMS Conqueror made history in 1982 during the Falklands War when she became the first nuclear-powered submarine to sink a surface ship, the General Belgrano. HMS Splendid and HMS Spartan hunted the Argentine Navy carrier group Task Group 79.1 but did not engage.
At the end of the
Post Cold War
In May 1991 Oberon-class submarines Opossum and her sister Otus returned to the submarine base HMS Dolphin in Gosport from patrol in the Persian Gulf flying Jolly Rogers, indicating successful actions.[14]
In 1999
During Operation Veritas, the attack on Al-Qaeda and Taliban forces following the September 11 attacks in the United States,Trafalgar was the first Royal Navy submarine to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles against targets in Afghanistan.[16] Triumph was also involved in the initial strikes.[17] Turbulent launched fourteen Tomahawks during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.[18]
In 2011, HMS Triumph and Turbulent participated in Operation Ellamy. They launched Tomahawk cruise missiles at targets in Libya, firing the first shots of the operation.[19]
In April 2016, The Sunday Times reported that Royal Navy submarines were to resume under-ice operations in the Arctic.[20] Such operations have not taken place since 2007 after a fatal explosion on board Tireless. The crews of all seven active Royal Navy attack submarines will receive training on how to navigate below and "punch through" ice floes.[20]
As of 2018, there had been three near misses between submerged Royal Navy submarines and civilian vessels due to "an insufficient appreciation of the location of surface ships in the vicinity", according to a Marine Accident Investigation Branch report.[21]
For an extended period of time, the navy has had difficulty in attracting specialist staff into the nuclear submarine force, in part because of the long undersea patrols. In 2008 there were shortfalls of 28% in senior nuclear engineering officers, 23% in sonar and sensor operators, and 20% in nuclear weapons system junior ranks.[22] In 2018, the National Audit Office highlighted the shortage of 337 skilled Royal Navy nuclear staff.[23] In 2023, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sir Ben Key said recruiting for the submarine service was still proving difficult and the service was in a "war for talent".[24]
Perisher
'Perisher' (as the Submarine Command Course is better known) is a 24-week course all officers must take prior to serving as an executive officer on board a Royal Navy submarine. It has been run twice a year since 1917, usually starting on 2 July and 14 November each year. It is widely regarded as one of the toughest command courses in the world, with a historical failure rate of 25%.[25]
If at any point during the training a candidate is withdrawn from training they will be nominated for boat transfer and kept occupied until the transfer. Their bag is packed for them and they are notified of the failure when the boat arrives. On departure they are presented with a bottle of whisky. A failure on Perisher means that the unsuccessful candidate is not permitted to return to sea as a member of the Submarine Service (although they are still allowed to wear the dolphin badge). They are, however, permitted to remain in the Royal Navy, moving into the surface fleet.
In more recent years, the United States Navy has sent some of its own submariner officers to undergo the 'Perisher', in order to foster and maintain closer links with the Royal Navy.
In 1995 the Royal Netherlands Navy took over the Perisher course for diesel-electric submarines, since the Royal Navy no longer operates boats of that type. The course is attended by candidate submarine commanders from navies around the world.[26]
Traditions
The Submarine Service has many traditions that are not found in the
The Jolly Roger and the Submarine Service
Rear-Admiral
In World War II it became common practice for the submarines of the Royal Navy to fly the Jolly Roger on completion of a successful combat mission where some action had taken place, but as an indicator of bravado and stealth rather than of lawlessness. For example, in 1982 returning from the Falklands conflict Conqueror flew the Jolly Roger depicting one dagger for the SBS deployment to South Georgia and one torpedo for her sinking of the Argentinian cruiser General Belgrano. The Jolly Roger is now the emblem of the Royal Navy Submarine Service.[31]
Dolphins Badge
First officially adopted in the 1950s, qualified submariners are presented the Golden Dolphins badge to wear on their uniform on the left breast above any medals.[32] The current badge, adopted in 1972, depicts two golden dolphins facing an anchor surmounted by St Edwards Crown. In September 2020, it was announced that all trainee submariners would be issued their own dolphins badge; similar to the Golden Dolphins in size and shape, though completely black.[32]
Active submarines
The Submarine Service consists of two classes of Fleet submarines and one class of Ballistic Missile submarines.
Fleet submarines
There are six fleet submarines in commission – one
These submarines are armed with the Spearfish torpedo for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare. They have the ability to fire Tomahawk cruise missiles for attacking targets on land. This capability was used by Trafalgar against the Taliban in 2001 during Operation Veritas. The Fleet submarines are also capable of surveillance and reconnaissance missions.[34] Fleet submarines are sometimes referred to as attack or hunter-killer vessels.
Name | Class | Pennant Number | Commissioned |
---|---|---|---|
Triumph | Trafalgar | S93 | 1991 |
Astute | Astute | S119 | 2010 |
Ambush | Astute | S120 | 2013 |
Artful | Astute | S121 | 2016 |
Audacious | Astute | S122 | 2020 |
Anson | Astute | S123 | 2022 |
Ballistic submarines
The four
The four Vanguard class boats are responsible for the United Kingdom's
Name | Class | Pennant Number | Commissioned |
---|---|---|---|
Vanguard | Vanguard | S28 | 1993 |
Victorious | Vanguard | S29 | 1995 |
Vigilant | Vanguard | S30 | 1996 |
Vengeance | Vanguard | S31 | 1999 |
Rescue systems
The Royal Navy operated the LR5 Submarine Rescue System, designed for retrieving sailors from stranded submarines. Capable of rescuing up to 16 sailors at a time, the system was deployed to the wreck site of the sunken Kursk. The system was replaced in 2004 with the NATO Submarine Rescue System which remains based in the UK.
The Royal Navy, along with France and Norway, is part of the NATO Submarine Rescue System.
Decommissioning nuclear submarines
This section needs to be updated.(May 2021) |
Twenty-one nuclear submarines awaiting decommissioning have been laid-up at
In 2018, the UK Parliament's Public Accounts Committee criticised the slow rate of decommissioning of these submarines, with the Ministry of Defence admitting that it had put off decommissioning due to the cost.[40] The National Audit Office in 2019 stated that the accumulative costs of laid up storage had reached £500 million,[41] and they represent a liability of £7.5 billion.[37]
in 2019 it has been acknowledged that the UK has more obsolete submarines than they have in service, a problem that has been ignored for over 50 years as the UK do not currently have a clear funding plan for defuelling and dismantling of these submarines.[42] The US have been decommissioning nuclear submarines for many years in a programme that is self funding by recycling many of the components. It's possible that their expertise in decommissioning could be leverage in securing submarine building contracts from the UK.
Future submarines
A total force of seven Astute fleet submarines is planned. As of August 2022, the first five boats are in commission and in service, while boats six and seven are in various stages of construction. Boat number seven was confirmed in the October 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review and long-lead items have been ordered.[43] The Astute-class submarine is the largest nuclear fleet submarine ever to serve with the Royal Navy, being nearly 30% larger than its predecessors. Its powerplant is the Rolls-Royce PWR2 reactor, developed for the Vanguard-class SSBN. The submarine's armament consists of up to 38 Spearfish torpedoes and Tomahawk Block IV land-attack cruise missiles.
The replacement class for the Vanguard SSBNs was ordered in 2016 and is named the Dreadnought after its lead boat.[44][45] The programme will seek to replace one-for-one the current four ballistic missile submarines starting sometime during the early 2030s.[46]
There is also a program for a Maritime Underwater Future Capability (MUFC), that is, a successor to the Astute-class SSN.[47] MUFC was initially known as the 'Astute Replacement Nuclear Submarine (SSN (R))'.[48] However, in 2023 the program expanded to include the joint acquisition, with American support, of nuclear-powered submarines by the United Kingdom and Australia. The successor submarine was then renamed SSN-AUKUS.
See also
- List of submarine classes of the Royal Navy
- List of submarines of the Royal Navy
- Royal Navy Submarine Museum
References
- ^ "Celebrated head of the Royal Navy's Submarine Service retires". Royal Navy. 26 July 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ "Royal Navy Submarine School". Royal Navy. Archived from the original on 25 April 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
- ^ "Submarine School". Diesel Weasel. Archived from the original on 1 September 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
- ^ Conley (2014), p. 136.
- ^ Lambert. The Submarine Service, 1900–1918. p. x–xii, xxix.
- ^ "Royal Navy in 1939 and 1945". CAMPAIGN SUMMARIES OF WORLD WAR 2. Naval-history.net. 8 July 2011. Archived from the original on 1 September 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- National University of Ireland Maynooth.
- ^ Spooner (1996), pp. 26–27.
- ^ Holland (2003), pp. 84–85.
- ^ Spooner (1996), p. 29.
- ^ Spooner (1996), p. 30.
- ISBN 978-1-84415-131-8. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- ^ "Northwood Headquarters". Royal Navy. Archived from the original on 12 December 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ^ "Phil lies low..." Navy News. May 1991. p. 3. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
- ^ Gellman, Barton (25 March 1999). "U.S., NATO Launch Attacks on Yugoslavia". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 19 May 2006. Retrieved 24 May 2006.
- ^ "Trafalgar Returns". Warship News. 1 March 2002. Archived from the original on 21 June 2007.
- ^ "Home and away over Christmas". Navy News. 24 December 2001. Archived from the original on 2 April 2003.
- ^ Norton-Taylor, Richard (17 April 2003). "Cruise missile sub back in UK". The Guardian.
- ^ "British Armed Forces launch strike against Libyan Air Defence systems". Ministry of Defence. 19 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
- ^ a b "UK attack subs return to Arctic". The Sunday Times. 10 April 2016. Archived from the original on 19 April 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ^ Nicholls, Dominic (16 July 2020). "Royal Navy submarine and Stena ferry 'came within 100m of colliding'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
- ^ "Navy face specialist staff shortages on some of its key Trident sections". The Herald. Scotland. 30 May 2008. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ "The Defence Nuclear Enterprise: a landscape review" (PDF). National Audit Office. 22 May 2018. HC 1003. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ Haynes, Deborah (19 June 2023). "Royal Navy boss reveals fears over staffing of UK's nuclear deterrent". Sky News. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ Nagle, David. "Perisher Submarine Command Training in the Royal Navy". United States Navy. Archived from the original on 18 October 2013.
- ^ Massie, Rich. "U.S. Submariner Qualifies for SSK Command in the RNLN Submarine Command Course". United States Navy. Archived from the original on 19 December 2012.
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- ISBN 0-415-01280-5., ed. (1961). Fear God and Dread Nought: The correspondence of Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher of Kilverstone (Volume I). Oxford University Press. p. 332.
Underhand... and damned Un-English... treat all submarines as pirates in wartime ... and hang all crews.
cites Marder, A. J. - ^ Lambert. The Submarine Service, 1900–1918. p. xi.
- ^ "The Jolly Roger". Royal Navy Submarine Museum. 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
- ^ "A Tribute to the Past". Royal Navy Submarines. Archived from the original on 29 May 2006. Retrieved 24 May 2006.
- ^ a b "New badge for trainee Royal Navy submariners". www.royalnavy.mod.uk. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- ^ "Submarines". Royal Navy. Archived from the original on 30 October 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ "Fleet Submarines (SSN) : Submarine Service : Operations and Support". Royal Navy. Archived from the original on 6 September 2008.
- ^ https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9077/CBP-9077.pdf
- ^ "Continuous At Sea Deterrent". Royal Navy. Archived from the original on 2 June 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
- ^ a b Higginson, Nick (30 July 2019). "Strategy for submarines". Nuclear Engineering International. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
- ^ "How Babcock plans to decommission UK nuclear submarines". Nuclear Engineering International. 14 February 2014. Archived from the original on 24 February 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
- ^ Morris, Jonathan (3 June 2015). "Laid-up nuclear submarines at Rosyth and Devonport cost £16m". BBC News. Archived from the original on 3 June 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
- ^ "Multiple risks to delivery of nuclear deterrent – News from Parliament". UK Parliament. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
- ^ "NAO hits out at UK MoD over nuclear submarine disposal | Jane's 360". www.janes.com. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
- ^ Pollard, Luke (24 June 2019). "Let's begin the process of recycling our nuclear submarines". PoliticsHome.com. Merit Group. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
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- ^ "New nuclear submarine given famous naval name". BBC News. 21 October 2016. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
- ^ Heappey, James (6 February 2020). "HMS Audacious". theyworkforyou.com.
- ^ "Submarine Delivery Agency Corporate Plan 2018–2019" (PDF). Submarine Delivery Agency. 1 April 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
- ^ "SDA Project Manager". matchtech.com. Matchtch. 18 February 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
Bibliography
- Chalmers, William (1954). Max Horton and the Western Approaches: A biography of Admiral Sir Max Kennedy Horton. London: Hodder & Stoughton.
- Conley, Dan (2014). Cold War Command: The Dramatic Story of a Nuclear Submariner. South Yorkshire, England: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-769-6.
- Holland, James (2003). Fortress Malta: An Island Under Siege, 1940–1943. London: Miramax Books. ISBN 1-4013-5186-7.
- Lambert, Nicholas A. (2001). The Submarine Service, 1900–1918. Ashgate. ISBN 9780754602941.
- Spooner, Tony (1996). Supreme Gallantry: Malta's Role in the Allied Victory, 1939–1945. London: J. Murray. ISBN 978-0-71955-706-4.
Further reading
- Hackmann, Willem (1984). Seek & Strike: Sonar, anti-submarine warfare and the Royal Navy 1914–54. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. ISBN 0-11-290423-8.