{"id":23695,"date":"2025-04-14T17:24:23","date_gmt":"2025-04-14T17:24:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nuclearcompanion.com\/?post_type=dataposts&p=23695"},"modified":"2025-04-16T21:16:24","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T21:16:24","slug":"hms-vengeance-s31","status":"publish","type":"dataposts","link":"https:\/\/nuclearcompanion.com\/data\/hms-vengeance-s31\/","title":{"rendered":"HMS Vengeance (S31)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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

HMS Vengeance (S31)<\/strong> is the fourth and final submarine of the United Kingdom’s Vanguard-class strategic ballistic missile submarines (SSBN)<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ordered from Vickers Shipbuilding & Engineering Ltd.<\/strong> at Barrow-in-Furness<\/strong>, her keel was laid down on 1 February 1993<\/strong>. She was launched on 19 September 1998<\/strong> and officially commissioned into service on 27 November 1999<\/strong>. Vengeance entered operational service in 2000<\/strong>, assigned the critical role of providing continuous at-sea nuclear deterrence<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n

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

Equipped with sixteen ballistic missile launchers, the submarine carries the Trident II D5 missile system<\/a><\/strong>. In addition, HMS Vengeance features four 533 mm torpedo tubes<\/strong> capable of launching Spearfish torpedoes<\/strong> against enemy submarines or surface ships up to 65 kilometers<\/strong> away. For enhanced defense, she is also fitted with twelve decoy launching tubes<\/strong>\u2014six located on each side of the hull between the missile compartment and the sail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officially, her submerged speed exceeds 20 knots<\/strong>, though operational performance suggests capabilities of at least 25 knots<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From May 2012 to December 2015<\/strong>, Vengeance underwent an extensive refit and refueling period at Devonport Dockyard<\/strong>. Post-refit, she completed six months of sea trials before returning fully operational to strategic deterrent patrols.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"HMS
HMS Vengeance at Devonport. (Source<\/a> – Crown Copyright \/ OGL<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Alongside her sister ships\u2014HMS Vanguard<\/a><\/strong>, HMS Victorious<\/a><\/strong>, and HMS Vigilant<\/a><\/strong>\u2014HMS Vengeance ensures the UK’s strategic nuclear deterrent remains credible and continuously effective, upholding national security within the context of global defense commitments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

The name HMS Vengeance<\/strong> has a notable history within the British Royal Navy<\/strong>, borne by several distinguished vessels over centuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first Vengeance<\/strong> was originally a French sixth-rate ship<\/strong> of 533 tons<\/strong>, armed with 32 guns<\/strong>. Captured off the Lizard<\/strong> by Captain John Elliott<\/strong> commanding HMS Hussar (28)<\/strong>, she was commissioned into the Royal Navy retaining her original name. Ultimately, she ended her service as a breakwater at Plymouth<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second Vengeance<\/strong>, constructed on the Thames<\/strong> between 1771 and 1774<\/strong>, was a third-rate ship<\/strong> of 1,627 tons<\/strong> carrying 74 guns<\/strong>. She participated in significant naval battles, including the action off Ushant<\/strong> (July 1778<\/strong>), Rodney\u2019s action off Martinique<\/strong> (April 1780<\/strong>), and the defense of St. Lucia<\/strong> (May 1780<\/strong>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Severely damaged in the Great Hurricane of October 1780<\/strong>, she was repaired in England. Later, she served under Sir John Jervis<\/strong> in the capture of Martinique (1794)<\/strong> and the capitulation of Trinidad (1797)<\/strong>. After 1802<\/strong>, she became a prison ship<\/strong> until her dismantlement in 1816<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Model
Model of HMS Vengeance (1824), a Canopus Class 80-gun 2nd Rate 2-deck ship-of-the-line at the Science Museum, South Kensington. (Image<\/a> by Hugh Llewelyn<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

A third vessel named Vengeance<\/strong>, acquired at Ostend<\/strong> in November 1793<\/strong>, was an armed galleon<\/strong> of four guns<\/strong>. Her service details remain largely unknown, but she possibly formed part of the experimental anti-invasion gunboat flotilla of 1794<\/strong>. Her name disappeared from the Navy List in 1826<\/strong> without explanation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fourth Vengeance<\/strong> was another captured French vessel\u2014a fifth-rate frigate<\/strong> of 40 guns<\/strong> and 1,370 tons<\/strong>, seized by HMS Seine<\/strong> in Mona Passage<\/strong>. Used as a prison hulk in Jamaica<\/strong>, she remained officially listed until 1837<\/strong>, although records indicate her disposal in Jamaica around 1814<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A second-rate ship<\/strong> named Vengeance<\/strong> was launched at Pembroke<\/strong> on 26 July 1824<\/strong>. With 84 guns<\/strong> and displacing 2,284 tons<\/strong>, she served in the Mediterranean<\/strong> and participated in the Crimean War<\/strong>. Afterward, she served as a receiving hulk at Devonport<\/strong> from 1861 until her sale in 1897<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Light
Light Fleet Carrier HMS VENGEANCE and another carrier lying in Grand Harbour, Malta.(Source<\/a> \/ IWM Non Commercial License<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Another significant ship bearing the name was a battleship<\/strong> launched on 25 July 1899<\/strong>. Weighing 12,950 tons<\/strong> and armed with four 12-inch and twelve 6-inch guns<\/strong>, she served as flagship of the 7th Battle Squadron<\/strong> during World War I<\/strong>, including involvement in operations at the Dardanelles<\/strong> in 1915<\/strong>. She was sold in 1921<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final notable vessel named Vengeance<\/strong> was a light fleet carrier<\/strong> from the Colossus class<\/strong>, completed in 1945<\/strong>. Initially part of the British Pacific Fleet<\/strong>, she repatriated former prisoners of war and served as a supply carrier<\/strong>. Later, she conducted helicopter trials in Arctic waters<\/strong> with the Home Fleet<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a brief service with the Australian Navy (1952-1955)<\/strong>, she was sold to Brazil in 1956<\/strong>, extensively modernized, and renamed Minas Gerais<\/strong>. She remained in Brazilian service until 2001<\/strong> and was scrapped in 2004<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

The official badge of HMS Vengeance features a red field<\/strong> with three daggers<\/strong> arranged vertically in a pile, points downward, depicted in natural colors with gold hilts and pommels<\/strong>. This badge symbolizes the submarine’s name, reflecting her capability and readiness to deliver decisive action. The ship’s motto, “I strike, I cover,”<\/strong> underscores the submarine’s dual role as both a strategic deterrent and protector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

The Vanguard-class submarines<\/strong> are the backbone of the United Kingdom’s strategic nuclear deterrent, replacing the older Polaris-equipped Resolution-class submarines<\/strong>. The first of this class was launched in 1993<\/strong>, marking a significant technological advancement. <\/p>\n\n\n

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

Each Vanguard-class submarine can carry 16 Trident II D-5 ballistic missiles<\/strong>, each missile capable of carrying up to 12 independently targetable nuclear warheads<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although each submarine theoretically supports up to 192 warheads<\/strong>, operational practice has seen reductions first to 96<\/strong> and more recently to 48 warheads<\/strong> per vessel. The Trident II missile<\/strong> boasts a remarkable range of approximately 11,000 kilometers (6,875 miles)<\/strong> and a targeting accuracy within 120 meters (360 feet)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each vessel also carries four 533 mm (21-inch) torpedo tubes<\/strong> capable of firing Spearfish wire-guided torpedoes<\/strong>, which can engage enemy submarines or surface vessels up to 65 kilometers (40 miles)<\/strong> away. <\/p>\n\n\n

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

To support the larger Trident missile system<\/strong> and a more powerful nuclear reactor, Vanguard-class submarines were substantially enlarged compared to earlier Resolution-class<\/strong> submarines. Advanced design features were incorporated to significantly reduce noise emissions<\/strong> when submerged, making them exceptionally stealthy and effective strategic deterrents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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