{"id":23110,"date":"2025-03-23T01:59:48","date_gmt":"2025-03-23T01:59:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nuclearcompanion.com\/?post_type=dataposts&p=23110"},"modified":"2025-04-16T21:21:22","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T21:21:22","slug":"hms-vanguard-s28","status":"publish","type":"dataposts","link":"https:\/\/nuclearcompanion.com\/data\/hms-vanguard-s28\/","title":{"rendered":"HMS Vanguard (S28)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

HMS Vanguard<\/strong> is the first United Kingdom submarine equipped to carry the Trident missile system<\/a><\/strong>. Constructed by Vickers Shipbuilding<\/strong> at Barrow-in-Furness<\/strong>, she was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 14 August 1993<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vanguard also lent her name to the entire class of four submarine<\/strong>s<\/a> designed to maintain the UK’s nuclear deterrent from the 1990s into the twenty-first century. Her sister vessels are HMS<\/strong> Victorious<\/strong><\/a>, HMS Vigilant<\/a><\/strong>, and HMS Vengeance<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"HMS
HMS Vanguard arrives back at HM Naval Base Clyde, Faslane, Scotland following a patrol in 2010. (Source<\/a> – Crown Copyright \/ OGL<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In May 1994<\/strong>, HMS Vanguard conducted the UK’s first test launch of a Trident D5 missile<\/strong> off the coast of Florida<\/strong>. She embarked on her first operational Trident patrol<\/strong> in December 1994<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Vanguard-class submarine carries sixteen Trident II (D-5)<\/strong> submarine-launched ballistic missiles. Each missile is equipped with multiple independently targeted re-entry vehicles (MIRVs<\/strong>), each capable of delivering a destructive yield of 100 kilotons<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Namesake<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The name Vanguard<\/strong> holds an honored and illustrious place in Royal Navy history<\/strong>, with distinctions from the Spanish Armada to Jutland. The current submarine is the tenth British warship to carry this distinguished name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The earliest HMS Vanguard was a heavily armed galleon<\/strong> introduced in 1587<\/strong>. Rated at 500 tons<\/strong> and equipped with 42 guns<\/strong>, this vessel notably participated in the destruction of the Spanish Armada in 1588<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another renowned bearer was a late 18th-century third-rate ship of 1,609 tons<\/strong> armed with 74 guns<\/strong>. Built at Deptford in 1787<\/strong>, this ship served as Admiral Lord Nelson\u2019s flagship<\/strong> during his decisive victory over the French fleet at the Battle of the Nile<\/strong> in August 1798<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Battleship
Battleship HMS Vanguard at Anchor in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland in 1952. (National Archives<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

An unfortunate HMS Vanguard was a Victorian battleship launched at Birkenhead in 1870<\/strong>, with an iron hull, partially steam-powered, and displacing 6,010 tons<\/strong>. On 1 September 1875<\/strong>, she collided in dense fog with her sister ship, HMS Iron Duke, in the Irish Sea<\/strong>, and sank. All crew members survived, but her captain, Richard Dawkins<\/strong>, faced court-martial for negligence and never commanded again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ninth HMS Vanguard, launched in November 1944<\/strong> by Her Majesty The Queen (then Princess Elizabeth)<\/strong>, was the largest and last of Britain’s battleships. Designed by Sir Stanley Goodall<\/strong>, she displaced over 50,000 tons<\/strong> and measured 814 feet (248 m)<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armed with eight 15-inch (38-cm)<\/strong> guns originally mounted on HMS Glorious<\/strong> and HMS Courageous<\/strong> in 1917<\/strong>, along with sixteen 5.25-inch (13-cm)<\/strong> guns, she achieved speeds of up to 29 knots<\/strong>. Although commissioned in 1946<\/strong> at a cost of \u00a39 million<\/strong>, she saw no combat action and served primarily as a training vessel before being scrapped in 1960<\/strong>, marking the end of battleship service in the Royal Navy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official Badge<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Field:<\/mark><\/strong> Blue
Badge:<\/mark><\/strong> Issuing from barry of four white and green, a demi-lion gold supporting a spear issuing white.
Motto:<\/mark><\/strong> “We lead”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The badge design is inspired by the historical tradition of Royal Navy vessels bearing a lion figurehead, a longstanding naval custom. The green and white bars symbolize the Tudor colors, referencing the first HMS Vanguard, constructed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Specifications<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Vanguard-class submarines<\/strong> are the largest ever constructed for the Royal Navy, measuring 150 meters in length<\/strong> with a submerged displacement of approximately 15,900 tonnes<\/strong>. Each submarine exceeds the size of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet<\/strong> by more than twice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Propelled by a second-generation Rolls-Royce PWR2 nuclear reactor<\/strong>, these submarines can achieve speeds greater than 25 knots<\/strong>. The reactor system heats seawater to generate steam, powering the vessel through the water with significant stealth and endurance.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"HMS
HMS Vanguard at Port Canaveral, Florida in 1994. (National Archives<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Each submarine is equipped with 16 missile launch tubes<\/strong>, each capable of housing a single three-stage, solid-fuel Trident II D5 ballistic missile<\/strong>. Each missile is about 13 meters long<\/strong>, 2 meters in diameter<\/strong>, and weighs approximately 60 tonnes<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Trident missile system has a maximum operational range of between 6,500 and 12,000 kilometers<\/strong>, with an estimated accuracy, or circular error probable (CEP<\/strong>), of around 90 meters<\/strong>. To support sustained operations, each submarine operates with two separate crews (Port and Starboard<\/strong>), facilitating efficient management of patrol duties, crew rest, and ongoing training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Construction<\/strong> & Commissioning<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"Vanguard
Vanguard<\/em> being rolled out of the construction building at Vickers Barrow, 1992. (Crown Copyright \/ OGL<\/a> via Norman Fredman)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n