HMS Warspite (S103)
 HMS Warspite | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name: | HMS Warspite |
| Ordered: | 12 December 1962 |
| Builder: | Vickers-Armstrongs |
| Laid down: | 10 December 1963 |
| Launched: | 25 September 1965 |
| Commissioned: | 18 April 1967 |
| Decommissioned: | 1991 |
| Fate: | In storage, awaiting disposal |
| Badge: |
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| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Valiant-class submarine |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 285 ft (87 m) |
| Beam: | 33 ft 3 in (10.13 m) |
| Draught: | 27 ft (8.2 m) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: |
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| Range: | Unlimited, except by food supplies |
| Complement: | 116 |
| Armament: |
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The latest HMS Warspite was the third of Britain's nuclear-powered submarines, and the second (and final) of the Valiant class. Entering service in 1967 and collided with a Soviet submarine in 1968. Following a mechanical failure associated with the submarine's nuclear reactor in 1991, the boat was laid up at HMNB Devonport and awaits disposal.
Operational history
The second Valiant-class submarine, to be called Warspite was ordered from Vickers-Armstrong's Barrow shipyard on 12 December 1962, and was laid down on 10 December 1963.[1] She was launched on 25 September 1965[1] by Mary Wilson, the wife of the then British Prime Minister Harold Wilson, and entered service on 18 April 1967.[1]
In October 1968 whilst following a Soviet boat identified as an Echo II-class submarine, Warspite collided with the stern and propellers of that boat. Warspite suffered damage to her fin but after surfacing to inspect damage was able to submerge and return home, and later sail to Barrow for proper repairs.[2] In 2 May 1976, Warspite was alongside in Liverpool, when she suffered a fire in her diesel generator room, in one of the most serious incidents the Royal Navy's nuclear submarines have encountered. The fire filled the aft end of the submarine with dense smoke, making it very difficult for the submarine's crew to monitor the status of the reactor, and Warspite's commanding officer considered scuttling the submarine in the event that a reactor accident did develop. The fire was eventually extinguished with the aid of civilian firefighters from the Liverpool Fire Brigade after 41⁄2 hours. The submarine's Marine Engineering Officer, Lieutenant Commander Tim Cannon, was awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal for his role in the response to the fire.[3][4]
Warspite underwent a two-year refit, which was nearing completion just as the Falklands War with Argentina started. After the war ended she carried out a record breaking patrol around the Falkland Islands and the Argentine coast.[5]
She was also part of a BBC television documentory called Submarine.
The submarine was decommissioned due to mechanical failure associated with the reactor in 1991. Mainly operated out of HMNB Clyde, at Faslane (the former Clyde Submarine Base) with the Third Submarine Squadron. Her hull and reactor are currently laid up afloat at Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth until facilities are available for the long term storage of her radioactive components.
Notable commanders of this vessel include Sandy Woodward.[5] Woodward went on to command the Falklands Conflict battle group, became Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command and rose to the rank of admiral.
Commanding officers
| From | To | Captain |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 1969 | Cdre John Hanbury Hervey CB OBE RN |
| 1980 | 1984 | Cdre Jonathan Gervaise Fitzpatrick Cooke OBE RN |
References
- 1 2 3 Blackman 1971, p. 336.
- ↑ Ballantyne, Iain (2013). Hunter Killers. London: Orion. pp. 139–145. ISBN 9781409144182.
- ↑ Hennessey and Jinks 2016, pp. 358–359.
- ↑ "Warspite Blaze Awards". Navy News. February 1977. p. 31. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
- 1 2 Ballantyne, Iain (2001). Warspite Warships of the Royal Navy. Pen & Sword Books Ltd. pp. 206–207. ISBN 0-85052-779-1.
Publications
- Ballantyne, Iain (2014). Hunter Killers: The Dramatic Untold Story of the Royal Navy's Most Secret Service. London: Orion. ISBN 978-1-4091-3901-0.
- Blackman, Raymond V.B. Jane's Fighting Ships 1971–72. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co., Ltd. ISBN 0-354-00096-9.
- Hennesey, Peter; Jinks, James (2016). The Silent Deep: The Royal Navy Submarine Service since 1945. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-241-95948-0.
- Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen, eds. (1995). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.