Trident submarine returns home after record-breaking undersea patrol
Also reported by Guardian World
Summary
HMS Vengeance returned to HM Naval Base Clyde in Scotland after a 217-day patrol spent submerged, the longest deployment at sea by a British vessel. The Royal Navy submarine’s 140 crew members carried out the patrol as the UK’s Vanguard-class submarines routinely serve for about six months amid a shortage of seaworthy boats.Key Facts
- HMS Vengeance left Faslane on 12 April and returned after 217 days at sea.
- The submarine’s crew numbered 140 people.
- The patrol set a record for the longest deployment at sea by a British vessel.
- Defence Secretary Wes Streeting welcomed the crew at HM Naval Base Clyde.
- Vanguard-class submarine patrols now routinely last about six months, more than twice their typical length in earlier years.
- HMS Vengeance was expected back the previous weekend, but its return was delayed after the submarine due to replace it returned to base with a technical fault.
- The UK has kept at least one ballistic missile-armed submarine at sea since 1969 as part of its nuclear deterrent.
- The four Vanguard-class submarines can each carry up to 16 Trident missiles.
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