Mr speaker the safety of the uk s naval nuclear reactor at the test establishment at dounreay and on our submarines is of critical importance to us as is the maintenance of continuous at sea. Beginning in the late 1960s the united kingdom operated four resolution class submarines each armed with sixteen us built ugm 27 polaris missiles the polaris missile was supplied to britain following the terms of the 1963 polaris sales agreement this nuclear deterrent system was known as the uk polaris programme in the early 1980s the british government began studies examining options for. Like all submarines the vanguard class are steam powered their reactors converting water into steam to drive the engines and generate electricity.
Each boat is armed with trident 2 d5 nuclear missiles. The four vanguard class submarines form the uk s strategic nuclear deterrent force. The hms revenge hms renown hms repulse and hms resolution.
The nuclear vessels being stored include the first submarines used to carry the uk s nuclear deterrent. The uk now has twice as many submarines mothballed than operational because the mod has failed to dispose of any of the 20 nuclear boats it has decommissioned since 1980. Investigation finds passengers and crew on both vessels placed in immediate danger.
News uk home news british nuclear submarine in near miss with packed ferry after ship sees periscope. Four vanguard class submarines were designed and built at barrow in furness by vickers shipbuilding and engineering now bae systems submarine solutions the only shipbuilder in the uk with the facilities and expertise to build nuclear submarines. This was used in the royal navy s first nuclear powered submarine hms dreadnought which was launched in 1960 and commissioned in 1963.
Under the mda the us supplied the uk with not just nuclear submarine propulsion technology but a complete s5w pressurised water reactor of the kind used to power the us skipjack class submarines. Sdv mk8 mod 1 3 mini submarines used by the special boat service of the royal marines late 2020s onwards edit dreadnought class pwr3 nuclear powered ballistic missile 2. The submarine s armament consists of up to 38 spearfish torpedoes and tomahawk block iv land attack cruise.
Its powerplant is the rolls royce pwr2 reactor developed for the vanguard class ssbn. The astute class submarine is the largest nuclear fleet submarine ever to serve with the royal navy being nearly 30 larger than its predecessors.
