{"id":23556,"date":"2025-03-28T17:30:14","date_gmt":"2025-03-28T17:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nuclearcompanion.com\/?post_type=dataposts&p=23556"},"modified":"2025-04-16T21:21:01","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T21:21:01","slug":"hms-victorious-s29","status":"publish","type":"dataposts","link":"https:\/\/nuclearcompanion.com\/data\/hms-victorious-s29\/","title":{"rendered":"HMS Victorious (S29)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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

HMS Victorious<\/strong> is the second ship of the Royal Navy’s Vanguard-class<\/a><\/strong> Trident ballistic missile submarines. Constructed by Vickers Shipbuilding<\/strong> at Barrow-in-Furness<\/strong>, she was commissioned into service on 7 January 1995<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Bow
Bow view of HMS Victorious. (Source<\/a> – Crown Copyright \/ OGL<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Victorious successfully launched her first Trident D5 missile<\/a><\/strong> off the coast of Florida<\/strong> on 24 July 1995<\/strong>. She commenced her first Trident operational patrol<\/strong> exactly one year after her commissioning, on 7 January 1996<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Victorious is currently based at The Royal Naval Base at Faslane, Scotland<\/strong>, which serves as the homeport for Britain’s four Vanguard-class SSBNs. Other ships in this class include HMS Vanguard<\/a><\/strong>, HMS Vigilant<\/a><\/strong>, and HMS Vengeance<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"HMS
HMS Victorious is one of the biggest submarines ever built in U.K.(<\/em>Source<\/a> \u00a9 Crown copyright. <\/em>MOD Crown Copyright News \/ Editorial Licence<\/a>)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

These submarines carry 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 HMS Victorious<\/strong> holds significant naval heritage, carried by several distinguished Royal Navy<\/strong> vessels over nearly two centuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first HMS Victorious<\/strong>, a third-rate<\/strong> ship of 1,659 tons<\/strong>, launched at Blackwall<\/strong> on 27 April 1785<\/strong>. She saw action during the capture of the Cape of Good Hope<\/strong> in 1795<\/strong>. In 1796<\/strong>, alongside HMS Arrogant<\/strong> (74 guns<\/strong>), Victorious engaged a French squadron of frigates off northern Sumatra<\/strong>. After serving for eighteen years, Victorious was dismantled at Lisbon<\/strong> in 1803<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second Victorious<\/strong>, a 74-gun<\/strong> ship weighing 1,724 tons<\/strong>, launched at Buckler\u2019s Hard<\/strong> in October 1808<\/strong>. She participated in the Walcheren expedition<\/strong> of 1809<\/strong>. On 22 February 1812<\/strong>, Victorious engaged and captured the French 74-gun Rivoli<\/strong> in a notable single-ship action near the Gulf of Trieste<\/strong>. Converted into a receiving ship<\/strong> by 1835<\/strong>, she remained in service until broken up in 1868<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Battleship
Battleship HMS VICTORIOUS at anchor at Spithead, 1898. (Imperial War Museum<\/a> \/ IWM Non-Commercial Licence<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The third HMS Victorious<\/strong> was a Majestic-class battleship<\/strong> launched at Chatham Dockyard<\/strong> on 19 October 1895<\/strong>, weighing 14,900 tons<\/strong>. In 1898<\/strong>, while en route to China<\/strong> via the Suez Canal<\/strong>, she grounded near Port Said<\/strong> but resumed her voyage after being lightened. By 1919<\/strong>, Victorious served as a dockyard repair vessel<\/strong>, concluding her service when sold for scrapping in 1923<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fourth and most notable vessel to bear the name was the Illustrious-class aircraft carrier HMS Victorious<\/strong>. Built by Vickers-Armstrongs<\/strong>, she entered service in 1941<\/strong> and rapidly saw significant action in World War II<\/strong>. Aircraft from Victorious famously attacked the German battleship Bismarck<\/strong> at night, achieving a long-distance hit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Victorious\u2019 aircraft also participated in reconnaissance and attacks against the Tirpitz<\/strong>, though the extent of damage inflicted remained uncertain. In coordination with HMS Furious<\/strong>, her planes successfully destroyed an entire enemy convoy off Norway<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Aircraft
Aircraft carrier HMS Victorious underway in Nov 1960. (Source<\/a> – Crown Copyright \/ OGL<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

During her deployment to the Pacific theater<\/strong>, Victorious endured kamikaze attacks<\/strong>, necessitating repairs in Australia<\/strong>. After the war, from 1950 to 1958<\/strong>, Victorious underwent extensive modernization, emerging as the Royal Navy\u2019s<\/strong> most advanced aircraft carrier. Equipped with an angled flight deck<\/strong>, she was capable of operating modern jet aircraft. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further refits followed in 1960<\/strong> and again in 1967<\/strong>. A severe fire during the 1967<\/strong> refit led to the decision not to recommission Victorious. She was ultimately sold for scrap in 1969<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

The official badge of HMS Victorious features a red field<\/strong>. At its center is a depiction of a winged female figure<\/strong> clothed in white, raising her hands to support a white laurel wreath<\/strong>. This badge symbolizes victory<\/strong>, directly alluding to the ship\u2019s distinguished name and historical achievements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

The Vanguard-class submarines are the largest ever built for the Royal Navy<\/strong>, each measuring 150 meters<\/strong> in length with a displacement of 15,900 tonnes<\/strong> when submerged, making them more than twice the size of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"HMS
HMS Victorious underway. (<\/em>Source<\/a> \u00a9 Crown copyright. <\/em>MOD Crown Copyright News \/ Editorial Licence<\/a>)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

They are powered by a Rolls-Royce PWR2 nuclear reactor<\/strong>, utilizing seawater to produce steam that propels these vessels through the water at speeds exceeding 25 knots<\/strong>. Each submarine is assigned two crews, known as Port<\/strong> and Starboard<\/strong>, to facilitate regular rotations, rest, and training periods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each Vanguard-class submarine is armed with 16 launch tubes<\/strong>, capable of housing the advanced three-stage solid-fuel Trident D5 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM)<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Starboard
Starboard view of HMS <\/em>Victorious returning to her home port at HMNB Clyde. (Source<\/a> – Crown Copyright \/ OGL<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Each missile measures approximately 13 meters<\/strong> in length, 2 meters<\/strong> in diameter, and weighs around 60 tonnes<\/strong>. The Trident D5 missile has an operational range of between 6,500 and 12,000 kilometers<\/strong>, with an accuracy reflected by a circular error probable (CEP<\/strong>) of approximately 90 meters<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Construction<\/strong> & Commissioning<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"HMS
HMS Victorious <\/em>ready to hit the water on 1993. (Crown Copyright \/ OGL<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n