Category Archives: UK Submarines

News, views and stories about UK submarines

Plymouth to lose more than 600 Royal Navy jobs

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MORE than 600 Navy jobs will be lost from Devonport when the base’s nuclear submarines move to Scotland.

The grim revelation is set to fuel calls for the next generation of warships to be based in Plymouth to “backfill” the personnel gap left by the subs’ departure.

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    The Ministry of Defence says about 630 military personnel are due to transfer to Faslane when the five Trafalgar-class hunter-killers relocate.

It was unable to say what impact the change would have on civilian staff, but it was not expected to “lead to any significant changes” in the number at Devonport.

The decision to make Faslane the dedicated home for the UK’s entire submarine fleet was taken under the last Labour Government and so has been known for some years.

But it is the first time the impact on manpower has been revealed.

Plymouth has already suffered from redundancies and the scrapping of warships as part of the biggest round of defence cuts since the end of the Cold War.

The latest news will lend added urgency to a campaign to bring the hi-tech Type 26 Global Combat Ship to Devonport.

Due to enter service after 2020, they will replace the Type 23 frigates, seven of which continue to be based in Plymouth after ministers lifted the threat of a move to Portsmouth last year.

Three of Devonport’s five Trafalgar class subs – Trenchant, Talent and Triumph, are to move to Scotland by 2017, where they will join the nuclear-armed Vanguard fleet and new Astute boats as they enter service. The other two, Tireless and Torbay, will be decommissioned.

That not only has implications for the dockyard’s workload and the knock-on effect for jobs, but also the economic benefit generated by naval personnel and their families.

Base-porting on the Clyde has become central to the high-profile debate on Scottish independence.

The Scottish National Party (SNP) is demanding the submarine-based nuclear deterrent is removed in the event of a vote to go it alone in 2014. Continue reading →

HMS Audacious: MoD announces £1.2bn submarine contract

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HMS Audacious: MoD announces £1.2bn submarine contract

A new attack submarine, HMS Audacious, has been commissioned by the Ministry of Defence in a contract worth £1.2bn.

Diagram of HMS Astute

The BAE Systems deal, which will secure 3,000 jobs at Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, will progressively replace the Trafalgar Class currently in service.

A further £1.5bn has been committed to the remaining three Astute Class submarines being built, the MoD said.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said the contracts would offer the UK’s armed forces “greater certainty”.

Audacious will be the fourth of the seven Astute Class submarines being built for the Royal Navy.

Forget what you may have seen on Das Boot or the Hunt for Red October. Instead, Astute has cameras fitted on a mast that feed live pictures into the control room.

Unlike the old periscope that would pop out of the water for minutes at a time, Astute’s mast breaks cover for just a few seconds. It can record what it sees, giving the crew time to analyse the images. It’s another feature that makes the submarine harder to detect.

There are some things, though, that the 100-plus crew, and the visiting admirals, appear less keen to discuss. Its speed for one, which I’m told is not an issue, but is classified.

The first two boats, Astute and Ambush, are currently undergoing sea trials. The third boat, Artful, is reaching the final stages of her construction at Barrow shipyard. All three are to be based at Faslane on the Clyde.

Early work has been started on the fifth vessel, Anson, while preparation has begun on submarines six and seven which are as yet unnamed.

It emerged last month that Astute had encountered several problems during its sea trials, including leaks and electrical switchboards which were were found to be fitted incorrectly.

Concerns also emerged last year about the accuracy of nuclear reactor monitoring instruments during testing.

Mr Hammond said: “This contract marks an important step forward in the progress of our attack submarine programme and moves the Royal Navy closer to adding more of these highly-advanced and powerful attack submarines to its fleet.

“Our ability to commit an additional £1.5bn for boats five, six and seven underlines the benefits of a balanced budget and fully-funded equipment programme that gives our armed forces greater certainty.

“This funding demonstrates our commitment not only to a key Royal Navy capability, but also to the submarine industry in Barrow, which will play a vital role in Britain’s defence for decades to come.”

Source: BBC

HMS Triumph – Medals for crew who helped to topple Gaddafi

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SUBMARINERS who played a pivotal role in the NATO mission to topple the Gaddafi regime in Libya last year are to be rewarded for their service.

The crew of nuclear submarine HMS Triumph will be presented with medals at a ceremony in HMNB Devonport next week.

During the conflict they conducted many operations which in turn were key in preventing planned attacks including the mining of Misrata Harbour.

Much of the information was kept under wraps until July this year when The Herald spent a week onboard the submarine and the crew revealed the extent of their role.

Triumph’s crew foiled another assault when an unmanned inflatable boat was found with two mannequins at the controls and a box containing a ton of explosives on board.

Code named Operation Ellamy, the mission saw the first strike from the hunter-killer submarine, and the first from any British unit, on March 18, 2011 – just seven days after they were re-tasked to Libya.

Although the exact number of Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles fired by HMS Triumph could not be revealed, the submarine conducted six precision strikes each firing more than one of the deadly missiles on key targets including one of Colonel Gaddafi’s compounds.

After the operation some of the crew members said they felt “disheartened” by the lack of recognition for their service. Another described the feeling as a sense they had been “written out of history”.

But now the boat and 87 members of her crew, who have also been nominated for a Millie award, will receive the Unified Protector medal.

Commander Rob Dunn, 48, the former commanding officer of HMS Triumph, said: “We were operating in a hostile environment with gunfire echoing through the hull for nearly seven weeks.

“Our role in Libya was not widely publicised but there was a lot of individual recognition for certain members of the crew.”

As a result of the war, three members of HMS Triumph’s crew were presented Chief of Joint Operations Commendations in the operational awards list.

Cdr Dunn said the crew worked under continuous “risk and rigour” during their mammoth 10-month deployment.

Source – This is Plymouth

Royal Navy submariner admits meeting ‘Russian spies’

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Royal Navy submariner admits meeting ‘Russian spies’

Petty officer gathered secret coding programs and met two people he thought were Russian agents, court hears

Nuclear submarines

A Royal Navy submariner was caught trying to sell secrets to Russia in a sting operation led by the security services, the Guardian understands.

Edward Devenney, 30, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to collecting secret coding programs used by the British and attempting to pass the classified information on to Moscow.

Petty Officer Edward Devenney

Devenney, who is formerly from Northern Ireland, was a submariner on HMS Vigilant, a Trident nuclear submarine, when he decided to pass on secrets to the “enemy”, it is understood. The submarine – one of four that make up the UK’s nuclear deterrent – is normally based at Faslane in Scotland but had been refuelling at Devonport dock in Plymouth when Devenney’s activities raised the suspicions of his senior officers.

Devenney’s motivation, it is believed, was unhappiness with his situation and a degree of anger towards his employers after being passed over for promotion, rather than an issue of ideology or money.

A prolific tweeter, his behaviour raised the suspicions of his senior officers and over a period of months an undercover operation was carried out.

This led to Devenney contacting two people he believed were from the Russian secret service and discussing information relating to the movement of nuclear submarines with them. However, he was in fact talking to British agents.

Devenney was arrested and charged under the Official Secrets Act. He appeared at the Old Bailey in London and pleaded guilty to gathering details of encryption programs in breach of the act.

The charge related to collecting information for a purpose prejudicial to the safety of the state between 18 November 2011 and 7 March 2012. The information was described in court as “crypto material” – or codes used to encrypt secret information – which could be useful to an enemy.

Devenney also admitted a charge of misconduct in a public office in relation to a meeting with two people he believed were from the Russian secret service. He admitted meeting the two individuals and discussing the movement of nuclear submarines with them. He denied a further count of communicating information to another person. The Crown Prosecution Service would not pursue this charge, the court heard.

HMS Vigilant’s £300m refit at Devonport involved upgrading the reactor core in a refuelling which will last the submarine the rest of its life. The refit was completed earlier this year and the submarine was returned to Faslane from where it has been taking part in extensive sea trials.

Devenney’s career on board the submarine is likely to be over, however. He is expected to be discharged from the navy if he is given a custodial sentence at the central criminal court in London next month. Parts of the prosecution case will be heard in secret.

Mr Justice Saunders told Devenney: “Your sentence will be adjourned to December 12 when I will hear all the matters and consider them all. Until then you are remanded in custody.”

Assystem Energy and Nuclear Engineers pay a visit HMS/M Vengeance in Devonport

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The 15,000 tonne Scotland based Trident submarine ‘HMS Vengeance’ sailed into Devonport in March this year. As part of a £350m Ministry of Defence contract to refit and refuel, it’s been suggested that the ballistic nuclear submarine has safeguarded upwards of 2,000 UK jobs across the defence industry.

Assystem Energy and Nuclear staff pictured outside the Trident refit complex in Babcock’s Devonport dockyard (left to right, Amy Bowers, Tim Wicksteed, Pete Gillham, Mike Ormston & Jason Lockley)

With work on the Vanguard class vessel securing 1,000 jobs at Babcock in Devonport alone, Assystem Energy and Nuclear is representative of a number of other companies involved in ensuring that this nuclear deterrent will continue to operate safely and effectively for years to come once back at sea and operational.

Sitting out of the water in her specially converted dry dock, Assystem Energy and Nuclear were invited to step aboard the 150m (492ft) long vessel. HMS Vengeance, the last of her class to be refitted in Devonport is undergoing a complete overhaul of equipment, improvements to her missile launch capabilities and upgrades to the onboard computer systems. A new reactor core will also be fitted, a core that has been designed to last the submarine until she is finally decommissioned.

UK Trident Submarine – HMS Vengeance – Photo (RN)

As guests of the HMS Vengeance’s Assistant Marine Engineering Officer – Lieutenant Sam Gill RN, Assystem Energy and Nuclear Bristol based engineers couldn’t help but marvel at the size and complexity of the vessel as they set foot onto the submarine’s casing.

” It was great to be able to link the work I’ve been doing with the people who are operating the submarines on a day-to-day basis. The UK’s fleet of nuclear submarines have an excellent safety record and that has only been possible due to the combined efforts of the engineers who design them and the crews themselves, whose meticulous approach to maintenance ensures any problems are identified and dealt with swiftly.” –  Tim Wicksteed (Assystem Energy and Nuclear Stress Engineer)

“It’s proved to be a very successful and rewarding day. Our engineers and designers work hard on lots of submarine projects, but not many of them ever get the opportunity to see where their bits of the puzzle fit into the incredibly large picture. I think it gives our guys a much greater sense of achievement to see their efforts up close” Jason Lockley (Assystem Energy and Nuclear Business Development Manager (ex Submariner))

“You don’t fully appreciate the density or diversity of the systems that are involved until you get to see them installed in an operational environment. It’s absolutely invaluable to talk to the teams that are involved with operating and maintaining the boat and to learn from their experiences”. Mike Ormston (Assystem Energy and Nuclear Principal EC&I Engineer) 

Assystem Energy and Nuclear engineering consultancy specialises in mechanical and electrical design, structural integrity work and the generation of safety reports for many primary nuclear components onboard the UK’s existing submarine fleet. Assystem Energy and Nuclear are also involved with future submarine programmes as well as being heavily involved in the civil nuclear sector, supporting new build, maintenance and decommissioning activities.

Rear Admiral Simon Lister was quoted as saying “The highly sophisticated nature of the work involved in the deep maintenance of these magnificent vessels is testament to the experience and skills of the workforce in Devonport and those in the supply chain across the UK.” (BBC News, 26 March 2012)

One of Assystem Energy and Nuclear’s bright young engineering stars, who’s soon to finish her PhD said.  

When you see the scale of the submarine and all the components involved it’s very impressive – it’s fantastic to get the opportunity to work on such projects. You only have to take a look at projects like this one and others that companies like ours are involved with to realise that we have great engineering talent in the UK. It’s amazing what we can achieve when we put our minds to it. . Amy Bowers (Assystem Energy and Nuclear Graduate Stress Engineer)

Assystem Energy and Nuclear would like to thank HMS Vengeance ship’s staff, especially MEO – Lt Cdr Shaun Southward RN & AMEO Lt Sam Gill RN for such an enlightening tour, and the interest shown in how the wider MoD Supply chain works to support the submarine programme.

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Oldest surviving submarine commander passes away

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Galway said goodbye this week to Commander Bill King of Oranmore Castle, who passed away last Friday at the age of 102.

Galway said goodbye this week to Commander Bill King of Oranmore Castle, who passed away last Friday at the age of 102.

One of Galway’s best-loved characters, Commander King was the oldest surviving World War submarine commander and led a life of adventure as a navel officer, yachtsman and author.

Having joined the Royal Navy on HMS Resolution in 1927, he worked his way up through the ranks before patrolling the North Sea during World War II as Commanding Officer of the T-class submarine HMS Telemachus.

Retiring from the service in 1948, he was decorated with the Distinguished Service Order, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Battle of Britain Star, the Burma Star and the Arctic Emblem.

After his retirement, Commander King married his wife Anita and moved to Oranmore Castle after buying it for just £200 and setting about refurbishing the dilapidated building to its former condition.

Speaking to the Galway Independent in 2008, he recalled “getting up one day to find my father-in-law, who used to always wear a kilt, sweeping dead fish out of the Great Hall”.

Commander King is perhaps best known for becoming the oldest sailor to complete a single-handed circumnavigation of the world, carrying out the amazing feat on his third attempt at the age of 58.

However, it was his passion for life and sense of humour that will be remembered by many, telling a Galway Independent journalist in a previous interview that living forever would be no good as “you’re always cold”.

Survived by daughter Leonie, son Tarka and grandchildren Cian, William, Heather and Olivia, Commander King was laid to rest on Monday following a funeral service at the Collegiate Church of St Nicholas on Lombard Street.

Source – Galway Independent

On this day 1951 – HMS Affray lost at sea

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1951: Fears for crew of lost British submarine

The entire 75-strong crew of a British submarine is feared dead after going missing off the south coast of England.

The search goes on for the survivors of the Affray

The search goes on for the survivors of the Affray

The Affray left Portsmouth last night and submerged about 30 miles south of the Isle of Wight at 2115 BST (2015GMT).

She was due to resurface today at 0830 BST (0730GMT) off Start Point but no surfacing signal was received and her current position is not known.

The code word “subsmash” was sent out to set in place a search and rescue operation.

Search for survivors

Twenty-six ships and submarines from four countries – Britain, France, Belgium and the US – are involved and every available aircraft has joined the search.

All vessels have been asked to look out for survivors, wreckage or oil spills on the surface of the water.

As well as its normal crew of 61, on board, there were two classes of submarine officers under training and a small party of Royal Marines.

According to the Admiralty, they were on a practice war patrol between Portsmouth and Falmouth.

Chance of survival

A senior submarine officer said the crew could survive for up to three days in such a large submarine if they used special oxygen candles stored on board.

The Affray is an A-class submarine designed for service in the Pacific. She was built in 1946 by Cammell Laird and belongs to the 5th Submarine Flotilla.

In January last year, HM Submarine Truculent sank in the Thames Estuary after colliding with another vessel leading to the death of 64 seamen.

Two months later, the Affray was found in 300ft of water 46 miles south of Portland.

It was the worst British submarine accident since the World War II.

The submarine was never recovered because of the depth at which it had sunk and the distance from the coast made a full salvage operation impossible.

A three-month investigation was carried out from the salvage vessel Reclaim using remote-control TV cameras.

The Royal Navy concluded HMS Affray sunk because the snort mast – the tube through which the diesel engine “breathed” while steaming at periscope depth – snapped because of metal fatigue.

This would have let water flood through the tube’s aperture.

Another theory was that a battery had  exploded.