Trafalgar-class submarine

The Trafalgar class is a class of nuclear-powered fleet submarines (SSNs) in service with the Royal Navy, and the successor to the Swiftsure class. Like the majority of Royal Navy nuclear submarines, all seven boats were constructed at Barrow-in-Furness shipyard, Cumbria. With three boats in commission and four retired from the 7 originally in service, the class makes up half of the Royal Navy's nuclear-powered ‘hunter-killer’ submarine force. The Trafalgar class is being gradually replaced by the larger and more capable Astute class, of which four are currently commissioned.

HMS Trafalgar in 2008
Class overview
Builders: Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering, Barrow-in-Furness
Operators:  Royal Navy
Preceded by: Swiftsure class
Succeeded by: Astute class
Cost: GB£200 million (1986) per unit
Built: 1977–1986
In service: 1983–present
Completed: 7
Active: 3
Retired: 4
General characteristics [1]
Type: Nuclear-powered fleet submarines
Displacement:
  • Surfaced: 4,500 to 4,800 t (4,700 long tons; 5,300 short tons)[2]
  • Submerged: 5,200 to 5,300 t (5,200 long tons; 5,800 short tons)[2]
Length: 85.4 m (280 ft)[2]
Beam: 9.8 m (32 ft)[2]
Draught: 9.5 m (31 ft)[2]
Propulsion:
  • 1 × Rolls Royce PWR1 nuclear reactor
  • 2 × GEC steam turbines
  • 2 × WH Allen turbo generators; 3.2 MW
  • 2 × Paxman diesel generators 2,800 shp (2.1 MW)
  • 1 × pump jet propulsor[Note 1]
  • 1 × motor for emergency drive
  • 1 × auxiliary retractable prop
Speed: Over 30 knots (56 km/h), submerged[2]
Range: Unlimited[2]
Test depth: 600m
Complement: 130[2]
Electronic warfare
& decoys:
  • 2 × SSE Mk8 launchers for Type 2066 and Type 2071 torpedo decoys
  • RESM Racal UAP passive intercept
  • CESM Outfit CXA
  • SAWCS decoys carried from 2002
Armament:
  • 5 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes with stowage for up to 30 weapons:

The name Trafalgar refers to the Battle of Trafalgar fought between the Royal Navy and the combined fleets of France and Spain in 1805.

Development

The Trafalgar class were designed in the early 1970s during the Cold War as a refinement of the preceding Swiftsure class. Including HMS Dreadnought, the Trafalgar class are the fifth class of nuclear-powered fleet submarines to enter service with the Royal Navy. The first of the class, HMS Trafalgar, was ordered on 7 April 1977 and completed in 1983. The last, HMS Triumph, was ordered on 3 January 1986 and completed in 1991. All seven boats of the class were built and completed by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering at the Barrow-in-Furness shipyard.

In 1982, Jane's Fighting Ships recorded: "Estimated cost of fourth submarine £175 million including equipment and weapon system when fitted." In 1986, Jane's Fighting Ships recorded that the average cost for this class was £200 million at 1984–85 prices.[4]

Potential export

In 1987, the Canadian White Paper on Defence recommended the purchase of 10 to 12 Rubis- or Trafalgar-class submarines under technology transfer,[5] with the choice of the type of submarine due to be confirmed before summer 1988.[6] The goal was to build up a three-ocean navy and to assert Canadian sovereignty over Arctic waters.[7] The purchase was finally abandoned in April 1989 due to the financial economy. In 1998 the Canadian government signed an agreement to acquire four of the Royal Navy's diesel-electric Upholder-class submarines.

Operational service

The submarines of the class have seen service in a wide range of locations, most notably firing Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles in anger at targets during conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. Three of the Trafalgar-class boats have been involved in such operations. In 2001 Trafalgar took part in Operation Veritas, the attack on Al-Qaeda and Taliban forces following the September 11 attacks in the United States, becoming the first Royal Navy submarine to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles against Afghanistan.[8] During April 2003, HMS Turbulent returned home flying the Jolly Roger after having launched thirty Tomahawk cruise missiles during the invasion of Iraq.[9] As part of the 2011 military intervention in Libya, HMS Triumph fired her Tomahawk cruise missiles in anger on three occasions; first on 19 March,[10] then again on 20 March,[11][12] and finally on 24 March.[13] Her primary targets were Libyan air-defence installations around the city of Sabha.[14] Triumph returned to Devonport on 3 April 2011 flying a Jolly Roger adorned with six small Tomahawk axes to indicate the missiles fired by the submarine in the operation.[15]

In 1993 Triumph sailed to Australia, covering a distance of 41,000 miles (66,000 km) whilst submerged and without any forward support. As of 2011, this still remained the longest solo deployment by any British nuclear submarine.[16]

Service problems

In 1998, Trenchant experienced a steam leak, forcing the crew to shut down the nuclear reactor. In 2000 a leak in the PWR1 reactor primary cooling circuit was discovered on Tireless, forcing her to proceed to Gibraltar on diesel power.[17] The fault was found to be due to thermal fatigue cracks, requiring the other Trafalgar-class boats, and some of the remaining Swiftsure-class boats, to be urgently inspected and if necessary modified.[17]

In 2013 the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator reported that the reactor systems were suffering increasing technical problems due to ageing, requiring effective management. An example was that Tireless had had a small radioactive coolant leak for eight days in February 2013.[18]

Characteristics
Turbulent with a Merlin helicopter from Type 23 frigate HMS St Albans, during an anti-submarine exercise in the Gulf of Oman, 2011.

As a refinement of the preceding Swiftsure class, the design of the Trafalgar class bears some similarity, including its internal layout and the Rolls-Royce PWR1 Core 3. However some improvements over the Swiftsure class include its reduced acoustic signature, thanks to the hull being covered in anechoic tiles which are designed to absorb sound rather than reflect it, making the boats quieter and more difficult to detect with active sonar. A pumpjet propulsion system is also used from boat 2 onward, rather than a conventional propeller.[19] The Trafalgar class are 85.4 m (280 ft) long,[2] have a beam of 9.8 m (32 ft),[2] a draught of 9.5 m (31 ft)[2] and a dived displacement of 5,300 tonnes (5,200 long tons).[2] Each boat has a complement of 130.[2] Like all Royal Navy submarines, the Trafalgar class have strengthened fins and retractable hydroplanes, allowing them to surface through thick ice.

Four boats of the class — Torbay, Trenchant, Talent and Triumph — have been fitted with the Sonar 2076 system, which Thales describes as having a "reputation as the world’s most advanced, fully integrated, passive/active search and attack sonar suite".[20] Beginning in 2014, the last four boats of the class underwent a communications package upgrade.[2]

The Trafalgar class is equipped with five 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes with accommodation for a mixture of up to 30 weapons:[2]

The Tomahawk missiles are capable of hitting a target to within a few metres, to a range of 1,000 miles (1,600 km).[21]

Ostensibly, the submarines use the same steering column as was used in the Wellington bombers of the Second World War[22]

Boats of the class

Initially, the last five boats of the Trafalgar class were to be replaced by the 'Future Fleet Submarine' programme, however this was effectively cancelled in 2001. Due to cost overruns, delays and budget cuts, the Astute class will eventually replace the Trafalgar class as well as the now-retired Swiftsure class.[23]

Talent is based at HMNB Clyde, at Faslane Scotland, whilst Trenchant and Triumph are the two remaining submarines based at HMNB Devonport.[24]

Name Boat Pennant No. Builder Laid down[25] Launched[25] Commissioned[25] Status
Trafalgar 1 S107 Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering, Barrow-in-Furness 25 April 1979 1 July 1981 27 May 1983 Decommissioned 4 December 2009[26]
Turbulent 2 S87 8 May 1980 1 December 1982 28 April 1984 Decommissioned 14 July 2012
Tireless 3 S88 6 June 1981 17 March 1984 5 October 1985 Decommissioned 19 June 2014[27]
Torbay 4 S90 3 December 1982 8 March 1985 7 February 1987 Decommissioned on 14 July 2017[28]
Trenchant 5 S91 28 October 1985 3 November 1986 14 January 1989 In active service[29]
Talent 6 S92 13 May 1986 15 April 1988 12 May 1990 In active service[29]
Triumph 7 S93 2 February 1987 16 February 1991 12 October 1991 In active service[29]

In fiction

In June 2019, ITV commissioned a six-part thriller based on board a fictional Trafalgar-class submarine, HMS Tenacity.[30]

See also

Notes
  1. All boats have a pump jet propulsor with the exception of Trafalgar, which was fitted with a 7-bladed conventional propeller.[3]

References
  1. "Trafalgar Class – Royal Navy". Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  2. Bush, Steve (2014). British Warships and Auxiliaries. Maritime Books. p. 12. ISBN 978-1904459552.
  3. Graham, Ian, Attack Submarine, Gloucester Publishing, Oct 1989, page 12. ISBN 978-0-531-17156-1
  4. Jane's Fighting Ships, 1986–87.
  5. Challenge and Commitment: A Defence Policy for Canada (PDF). Ottawa: Department of National Defence (Canada). 1987. pp. 52–54. ISBN 0-660-12509-9. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  6. Defence Update 1988–89 (PDF). Ottawa: Department of National Defence (Canada). 1989. ISBN 0-662-55733-6. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  7. Keith Spicer (10 September 2007). "Canada's Arctic claims". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on 27 January 2015.
  8. "Trafalgar Returns: Nuclear powered submarine HMS Trafalgar returned home to Devonport today following involvement in the war against terror". 1 March 2002. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  9. "HMS Turbulent: Royal Navy Trafalgar-class submarine". www.hmforces.co.uk.
  10. Nick Hopkins (20 March 2011). "Air strikes clear the skies but leave endgame uncertain". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
  11. "Missiles target Libyan air defences". Navy News. 21 March 2011. Archived from the original on 24 March 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
  12. Archived 26 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  13. "Libya action: More UK missiles target defences". BBC News. 24 March 2011.
  14. Archived 4 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  15. Archived 7 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  16. "HMS Triumph returns from Libya operations". Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  17. John H. Large (March 2005). "Forensic Assessments of the Nuclear Propulsion Plants of the Submarines HMS Tireless and RF Northern Fleet Kursk" (PDF). Institution of Mechanical Engineers seminar: Forensic Investigation of Power Plant Failures. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 22 March 2007. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  18. Rob Edwards (4 August 2013). "Ageing nuclear submarines could put sailors and public at risk, report warns". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  19. "Trafalgar class: Nuclear-powered attack submarine". www.military-today.com. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  20. "Submarine returns to fleet with upgraded Thales sonar". Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  21. "United States Navy Fact File: Tomahawk Land Attack Missile". navy.mil. US Navy. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  22. Hennessy, P. and Jinks, J. (2016) The Silent Deep, London: Penguin p16.
  23. "Trafalgar class submarines". Hansard. 17 November 2008 : Column 154W. Retrieved 12 July 2009. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  24. "Devonport | Royal Navy". www.royalnavy.mod.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  25. Sharpe, Richard, Jane's Fighting Ships, 1996–97, pub 1996, Jane's Information Group, ISBN 0-7106-1355-5 page 758.
  26. "HMS Trafalgar pulls down flag and retires from sea". Northwest Evening Mail. 5 December 2009. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
  27. HMS Tireless navy submarine ends service at Devonport, bbc.com, 19 June 2014
  28. "HMS Torbay's Decommissioning". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  29. "Trafalgar Class Submarines: Decommissioning:Written question – 47777". www.parliament.uk. 17 October 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  30. "ITV commissions six part thriller, Tenacity". ITV. 6 June 2019.

Bibliography

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