A former Royal Navy submarine captain is warning increasingly long patrols beneath the waves could lead to a rise in personnel leaving the Silent Service. HMS Vanguard, one of four Royal Navy submarines that carry the UK’s nuclear deterrent, returned to her base on Monday after 204 days at sea in what is believed to be one of, if not the longest, submarine deployments ever.
Retired Commander Ryan Ramsey described the deployment as “mind-blowing” but warned it could impact the military’s ongoing recruitment and retention crisis. The former captain of the now decommissioned HMS Turbulent told the Express: “The military is not seen as an attractive career to many of this generation, whereas it’s a remarkable pathway, the skillsets that it gives you. Now add in to that separation at this length, separation from social media – the primary way this generation communicates – separation from your families.
“Partners might not want that, you might want to see your kids.
“I think it makes it harder for recruitment and it definitely makes it harder for retention.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Defence Secretary John Healey were at Faslane to welcome the 130-strong crew home.
Four on board returned to newborn children.
The deployment would’ve seen the crew have no access to sunlight or fresh air for months.
Mr Ramsey says while at sea, crew go into an “endless circle” of eat, sleep, repeat, with most submariners working six hours on, six hours off and no days off.
He says the challenge is when the end of the deployment is not clear.
“Maybe if they were told that it was going to be 180 days, that’s what mentally you’re prepared for.
“Then the last 24 days are a real psychological battle to make sure that you stay focused.”
He added: “Conversations between submariners are amazing because you don’t have the internet or anything else like that. You have to converse, you have to talk, you have to tell stories, you play board games, you focus on different things. They put on competitions to make sure people have got different things to focus on.”
Deployments of the ageing Vanguard-class, which carry Trident missiles, are believed to have been increasing in recent years amid reported issues with maintenance.
The boats entered service in the 1990s with an initial service life of 25 years and have been undergoing life extension programmes.
They are set to be replaced by the Dreadnought-class from the early 2030s, with the PM laying the keel to the first boat in Barrow-on-Furness on Thursday afternoon.
Mr Ramsey said: “We’re in exactly the same position as when I first joined the Navy and we had the Polaris submarines doing similar, but they were nowhere near as long patrols, because the Vanguard programme was behind schedule.
“It strikes me that we appear to have learned nothing in 20, 25 years about how we make sure these programmes start at the right time to prevent this type of thing happening.”
It is understood the Navy used to aim for patrols of a maximum for 90 days.
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.
A Royal Navy spokesperson said: “Our submarines continue to deploy globally on operations, protecting national interests and keeping us safe. We are immensely grateful to all who serve and their loved ones, for their continued commitment and dedication.
“The recruitment and retention of personnel for our submarines is a priority and submariner roles are being prioritised in upcoming recruitment activities.”
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said the Dreadnought programme remains “on track and on schedule”.
