{"id":23691,"date":"2025-04-14T17:27:33","date_gmt":"2025-04-14T17:27:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nuclearcompanion.com\/?post_type=dataposts&p=23691"},"modified":"2025-04-16T21:20:04","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T21:20:04","slug":"hms-vigilant-s30","status":"publish","type":"dataposts","link":"https:\/\/nuclearcompanion.com\/data\/hms-vigilant-s30\/","title":{"rendered":"HMS Vigilant (S30)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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

HMS Vigilant<\/strong> is the third Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarine<\/a><\/strong> (SSBN) of Britain’s Royal Navy<\/strong>. She was constructed by Vickers Shipbuilding & Engineering<\/strong> in Barrow-in-Furness<\/strong>. Her keel<\/strong> was laid down on February 16, 1991. She was launched<\/strong> on October 14, 1995, and officially commissioned<\/strong> into service on November 2, 1996.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HMS Vigilant<\/strong> operates from the Royal Naval Base<\/strong> at Faslane<\/strong>, Scotland. Faslane<\/strong> serves as the homeport for Britain’s fleet of four Vanguard-class submarines. The other vessels in this class are HMS Vanguard<\/strong><\/a>, HMS Victorious<\/a><\/strong>, and HMS Vengeance<\/strong>.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

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Bow view of <\/em>HMS Vigilant. (Source<\/a> \u00a9 Crown copyright. MOD Crown Copyright News \/ Editorial Licence<\/a>))<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

These submarines carry sixteen Trident II (D-5) ballistic missiles<\/a><\/strong>. Each missile can deliver multiple independently targeted reentry vehicles<\/strong> (MIRVs<\/strong>). Each warhead<\/strong> has an explosive yield<\/strong> of around 100 kilotons. HMS Vigilant<\/strong> began her first strategic patrol<\/strong> in late 1997, becoming a crucial part of the United Kingdom’s nuclear deterrent strategy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

The official badge<\/strong> of HMS Vigilant<\/strong> has a blue field<\/strong> and features a gold dragon couchant gardant<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

The Vanguard-class submarines<\/strong> were designed and built by Vickers Shipbuilding & Engineering<\/strong> in Barrow-in-Furness<\/strong>, Britain. Each submarine measures 150 meters<\/strong> in length and displaces approximately 15,900 tonnes<\/strong> submerged, nearly twice the size of the earlier Polaris-class submarines they replaced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each Vanguard-class submarine is larger than a Boeing 747 jumbo jet. The crew has been reduced to 132 officers and men<\/strong>, down from the 149 crew members required by Polaris-class submarines.<\/p>\n\n\n

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HMS Vigilant arriving in HMNB Devonport. (Source<\/a> \u00a9 Crown copyright. MOD Crown Copyright News \/ Editorial Licence<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

These submarines are powered by a Rolls-Royce PWR2 nuclear reactor<\/strong>, enabling speeds greater than 25 knots<\/strong>. The reactor produces steam by boiling seawater, propelling the submarine efficiently underwater. Each submarine has 16 launch tubes<\/strong>, each housing a single three-stage, solid-fuel Trident II D-5 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM)<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These missiles are approximately 13 meters<\/strong> in length, 2 meters<\/strong> in diameter, and weigh roughly 60 tonnes<\/strong>. The Trident II missile has a range of between 6,500 and 12,000 kilometers<\/strong> and has an estimated circular error probable (CEP<\/strong>) of approximately 90 meters<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Construction<\/strong> & Commissioning<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n