| Built By: | Vickers (Barrow) |
| Build Group: | SSBN2 |
Keel Layed by Archie Hamilton, Minister of State for the Armed Forces Launched by Lady Fere
HMS Vigilant is not, by nature, a high-profile vessel. Her role as one of the four submarines which make up the UK National nuclear deterrent means she must 'disappear' on patrol for weeks on end.
Her mid-life Long Overhaul Period Refuel LOP(R), costing in excess of £300 million, has seen her reactor core upgraded and she now has enough fuel to power her through the rest of her working life, as well as significant upgrades to all her major machinery and operating systems.
The LOP involved more than 3,500 separate surveys and at least 200 distinct upgrades, bringing in more than 80 different sub-contractors to conduct the 2.5 Million man hours of work carried out at Devonport under the control of Babcock Marine and the DE&S.
Vigilant left Devonport in the middle of 2015 as the most technologically advanced of her class, and has returned to her home port of Faslane where she is entering a period of extensive sea trials which will test both the submarine’s systems and her Ship’s Company.
| 13-11-1990 | Contract Announced by Alan Clark, Minister for Defence Procurement |
| 16-02-1992 | Laid Down |
| 14-10-1995 | Launched |
| 02-11-1996 | Completed |
| 23-04-2014 | HMS Vigilant returned from patrol to her home on the Clyde |
| Length overall | 149.9m |
| Beam | 12.8m |
| Draught | 12m |
| Displacement | 15900 tons (submerged) |
| Speed | 25 knots (submerged) |
| No. of shafts | 1 |
| Propulsion | Pump jet propulsor |
| Armament | 16 x Lockheed Trident 2 (D5) (UGM-133A) |
| 4 x Torpedo tubes for Tigerfish or Spearfish torpedoes | |
| RNSH (Royal Navy Sub-Harpoon) anti-ship missiles | |
| Reactor | 1 x Rolls Royce PWR-2 |
| Turbines | 2 x GEC Turbines |
| Generators | 2 x WH Allen turbo generators. 2 Paxman diesel alternators (2,700 hp) |
| Power | 27,500 shp |
| Endurance | 8-9 years |
| Countermeasures | 2 x SSE Mk 10 Launchers for Type 2066 and 2071 decoys |
| ESM; Racal UAP 3, intercept | |
| Sensors | Type 2046 Towed array |
| Type 2054, 2043 & 2082 sonar | |
| Dowly Sema SMCS Combat Data System | |
| Dowty tactical control system SAFS 3 FCS. | |
| Type 1007 Navigation radar | |
| Complement | 135 (2 crews) |
By the time the Holland's and the A class submarines had come from the berths at Barrow and entered service, the Royal Navy's Submarine Service - every man a volunteer, by the way - had become accustomed to dicing with death.
Between 15 June 1968 and 13 May 1960, the first missile-armed nuclear-powered submarine (SSBN) left on patrol, with forty more to follow in subsequent years.
Two years later, when Britain's Blue Streak and Skybolt plans were cancelled, Harold Macmillan and John F. Kennedy agreed for Polaris to be supplied to the Royal Navy. In 1996, the Polaris submarines of the 10th Submarine Squadron carried out a total of 229 patrols, travelling over 2 million miles
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| Length overall | 149.9m |
| Beam | 12.8m |
| Draught | 12m |
| Displacement | 15900 tons (submerged) |
| Speed | 25 knots (submerged) |
| No. of shafts | 1 |
| Propulsion | Pump jet propulsor |
| Armament | 16 x Lockheed Trident 2 (D5) (UGM-133A) |
| 4 x Torpedo tubes for Tigerfish or Spearfish torpedoes | |
| RNSH (Royal Navy Sub-Harpoon) anti-ship missiles | |
| Reactor | 1 x Rolls Royce PWR-2 |
| Turbines | 2 x GEC Turbines |
| Generators | 2 x WH Allen turbo generators. 2 Paxman diesel alternators (2,700 hp) |
| Power | 27,500 shp |
| Endurance | 8-9 years |
| Countermeasures | 2 x SSE Mk 10 Launchers for Type 2066 and 2071 decoys |
| ESM; Racal UAP 3, intercept | |
| Sensors | Type 2046 Towed array |
| Type 2054, 2043 & 2082 sonar | |
| Dowly Sema SMCS Combat Data System | |
| Dowty tactical control system SAFS 3 FCS. | |
| Type 1007 Navigation radar | |
| Complement | 135 (2 crews) |
By the time the Holland's and the A class submarines had come from the berths at Barrow and entered service, the Royal Navy's Submarine Service - every man a volunteer, by the way - had become accustomed to dicing with death.
Between 15 June 1968 and 13 May 1960, the first missile-armed nuclear-powered submarine (SSBN) left on patrol, with forty more to follow in subsequent years.
Two years later, when Britain's Blue Streak and Skybolt plans were cancelled, Harold Macmillan and John F. Kennedy agreed for Polaris to be supplied to the Royal Navy. In 1996, the Polaris submarines of the 10th Submarine Squadron carried out a total of 229 patrols, travelling over 2 million miles
18 pages added or updated in the last 4 month
Please help to maintain this site by reporting any Errors, Broken Links, Information or Site Issues on this page using this button
If you find this site useful, please consider supporting my work with a small Donation.
Please Note: Donations made using this option go directly to the site owner and not to the Submariners Association.
Thankyou for your support.
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