Submariners have returned from what is believed to be the longest deployment of a nuclear-armed submarine in Royal Navy history. A Vanguard-class boat reportedly returned to its Faslane base on Monday after 204 days under the waves, according to Navy Lookout.
The vessel, thought to be HMS Vanguard, has a crew of around 130 who wouldn’t have seen sunlight or fresh air for almost seven months during the mammoth deployment. The Royal Navy itself says life in the Submarine Service, also known as the Silent Service, “isn’t for the faint-hearted”. “You’ll be pushed to your limits, but you’ll be rewarded for it too,” the Navy says on its website.
It is thought the length of submarine patrols has increased in recent years – HMS Vanguard’s sister boat, HMS Vengeance, reportedly returned home last year after 201 days at sea.
The Navy has four nuclear-powered Vanguard-class vessels, HMS Vanguard, Vengeance, Victorious and Vigilant, which first entered service in the 1990s.
They are 150 metres long and carry Britain’s nuclear deterrent – Trident.
Each Vanguard-class submarine is armed with Trident 2 D5 missiles which can be fired at targets up to 4,000 miles away.
Since April 1969, the Royal Navy has maintained a continuous at sea deterrence, with at least one nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine patrolling the seas.
Photos and videos were shared online as HMS Vanguard returned to Faslane.
The Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity, which supports naval personnel and their families, posted photos of HMS Vanguard’s homecoming on social media.
The charity said: “After one of the longest deployments in Royal Navy history, HMS Vanguard is finally home.
“RNRMC was there for them, through deployment, homecoming, and beyond. Because service isn’t just about those at sea, but the families who wait for them.”
Vanguard-class submarines have an unlimited range.
The submarines’ nuclear power is provided by a reactor that converts water into steam to drive the engines and generate electricity.
The Ministry of Defence usually doesn’t comment on submarine operations.
