by James Jinks
Peter Hennessy and James Jinks
* * *
THE SILENT DEEP
The Royal Navy Submarine Service since 1945
Contents
List of Illustrations
List of Maps
Preface
Abbreviations
Introduction
1 The Franchise of the Deep: Perisher
A Private War Has been Arranged
HMS Triumph, 19 October 2013
2 ‘The Most Dangerous of All the Services’: From World War to Cold War
Victory
The Spoils of War
Modernizing the Wartime Fleet
FOSM’s Empire
A New Role
The Early Cold War
‘The Admiralty regrets …’
The Rise of Underwater Intelligence Gathering and Reconnaissance
HMS Totem – ‘A Slippery Customer’
Operation ‘Nightjar’
Pin-Pricking a Colossus
3 ‘A New Epoch’: Towards the Nuclear Age
The Cold War Fleet
The UK Nuclear Programme
Securing American Help
Future Submarine Policy
Collaboration Restored?
A Vision of the Future
The Special Relationship
Operations ‘Rum Tub’ and ‘Strikeback’
The Agreement
The Dreadnought Programme
The ‘Valiant’ Class
4 ‘Move Deterrents out to Sea’: The Bomb Goes Underwater
First Contact
Planning for Polaris
Constructing Polaris
The Fifth Submarine
The 1964 General Election
‘Go’ or ‘No Go’: Deciding to Continue
Completing the Programme
Command and Control Arrangements
On Board a ‘Resolution’ Class Submarine
5 Mixing It with the Opposition: The Cold War in the 1960s
The Cold War at Sea
The Cuban Missile Crisis
Surveillance
Indonesian Confrontation
Transformation
Up North
6 ‘No Refuge in the Depths’: The Cold War in the 1970s
The Decade of the Passive
SOSUS
Under the Ice
A Specialist Service?
A Victor Penetrates the Clyde
A New Concept of Operations
The Perils of Special Operations
The ‘Swiftsure’ Class
Operation ‘Agile Eagle’
Assessments of the Soviet Navy
7 Hot War: The Falklands Conflict
Operation ‘Journeyman’
Operation ‘Corporate’
Sink the Belgrano
Frustration
Valiant Arrives
Reinforcements
Picket Duty
Departure
Aftermath
The Deterrent
8 Maintaining the Deterrent: From Polaris to Trident
Improving Polaris
Chevaline
Towards Trident
Purchasing Trident
The Trident Programme
9 The Silent Victory: The Cold War in the 1980s
The Cold War Heats Up
The 1981 Defence Review
The ‘Upholder’ Class
The ‘Trafalgar’ Class
SSN0Z and the Follow-On SSN
The Walker Spy Ring
‘Bearding the Bear in its lair’ – US Maritime Strategy
Arctic Operations
The Prince of Darkness
The Final Act
10 After the Cold War: 1990–Today
Uncertainty and Decline
From Polaris to Trident
Submarines of the Former Soviet Union
Power Projection
Seven Deadly Virtues
East of Suez
Overstretch?
11 And the Russians Came Too: Today and the Future
The ‘Astute’ Class
Current and Future Threats
And the Russians Came Too
Successor
Operation ‘Relentless’
Epilogue: How a Boat Dies
Illustrations
Submarine Profiles
Notes
Acknowledgements
Follow Penguin
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Peter Hennessy, one of Britain’s best-known historians, is Attlee Professor of History at Queen Mary, Univeristy of London. He is the author of Never Again: Britain 1945–51 (winner of the NCR and Duff Cooper Prizes), the bestselling The Prime Minister and The Secret State: Preparing For The Worst 1945–2010. He was made an independent crossbench life peer in 2010.
James Jinks completed his PhD under Peter Hennessy at Queen Mary. His first book was 50 Years of the Polaris Sales Agreement, commissioned by Her Majesty’s Government to mark 50 years of Polaris. He is now at work on A Very British Bomb, a history of the British nuclear deterrent.
PENGUIN BOOKS
THE SILENT DEEP
‘This history of our submarines since 1945 could not have been better timed … a wide-ranging survey that is exhaustively researched, well written, authoritative and full of interest … The Silent Deep should stand the test of time … its broad historical perspective gives essential insight into the nuclear debate’ Saul David, Daily Telegraph
‘The particular physical and psychological demands faced by submariners as they operate in the “silent deep” inform this full and vivid account of the history of the submarine service … an account remarkable for its range and detail, well illustrated and with excellent maps … Through all of this they give the submariners a voice, admire their professionalism and commend their contribution to national security’ Sir Lawrence Freedman, Financial Times
‘A central theme of this book, a comprehensive study of British underwater operations since 1945, is that while the men of the Submarine Service comprise only about a sixth of the Royal Navy’s strength they represent the spearhead. Their trade involves all manner of perils, even when no enemy is in sight. The authors’ account of submarine accidents is grimly impressive … The authors’ narrative of some Cold War intelligence patrols makes the hairs curl … Although this book is not an official history, it possesses the authority of one’ Max Hastings, Sunday Times
‘Peppered through the book are confrontations between British and Russian submarines, some revealed for the first time … Hennessy and Jinks raise the submarine service from its dark lurking place and put it convincingly at the centre of our modern history and present politics. The Silent Deep provides microscopic analysis of the political storms created by the nuclear deterrent since the 1950s and it will be a key text as politicians wrestle with the successor to Trident’ Ben Wilson, The Times
‘Must be the ultimate trainspotter’s guide to how Britain’s submarines and submariners work – and have done so since 1945. They write with the enthusiasm of addicts … In 1982 the Navy’s submarines were suddenly pitched into a hot war in the Falklands. This books gives one of the most lucid accounts of the saga … the book is radiated by Hennessy’s characteristic verve and wit … there is so much in this bizarrely entertaining book to make one really stop and think’ Robert Fox, Evening Standard
‘As you read these words over Christmas, at least one British nuclear submarine is patrolling. Those that say Trident will never be used miss the point: it is deterring every minute of every day. That the UK has been doing so for 47 uninterrupted years is an extraordinary feat. In The Silent Deep, Peter Hennessy and James Jinks chart these extraordinary feats, and more, and the high politics in the continuing story of the Royal N
avy’s submarine service. Most of all, the book charts a labour of love, paying tribute to the fearless professionalism of the submariners upon whose shoulders this mighty undertaking rests’ Admiral Sir George Zambellas, Former First Sea Lord
‘A great combination of meticulous historical research, as one would expect of Peter Hennessy, delving into the more secret parts of the government’s past decision making. In addition to being about the serious business of the defence of the realm, through Cold-War threats to our security, it also deals with the sheer bravery and professionalism of the most hidden of our armed services and discusses policy issues that matter as much going forward as they did in 1945. An essential read as Labour launches its defence review’ Maria Eagle MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and former Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
‘Fascinating … the most complete account yet published of Britain’s submarine fleet, its capabilities, weapons, infrastructure and operations. Furthermore, through privileged access to the Submarine Service today, and their crews and training, the authors provide first-hand accounts of what life is like on board in the silent deep. This is contemporary history at its best. At times, The Silent Deep reads like Tom Clancy’s 1984 novel, The Hunt for Red October’ Calder Walton, The Times Literary Supplement
Dedicated to the men and women of the Royal Navy Submarine Service since 1945.
Illustrations
Endpaper charts © Crown Copyright and/or database rights. Reproduced by permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office and the UK Hydrographic Office (www.ukho.gov.uk).
1. The crew of HMS Safari, alongside HMS Forth, September 1943. © Trustees of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.
2. Admiral of the Fleet Sir George E. Creasy, Admiral Submarines, September 1944–November 1946. © Trustees of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.
3. Rear Admiral Guy Grantham, Flag Officer Submarines (FOSM) August 1948–January 1950. © Trustees of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.
4. Rear Admiral Sydney M. Raw, FOSM January 1950–January 1952. © Trustees of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.
5. The captured German Type XVII ‘Walterboat’, July–August 1945. © National Archives.
6. Operation ‘Blackcurrant’, 1947. © National Archives.
7. HMS Affray in its original configuration. © Trustees of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.
8. HMS Alliance following conversion. © Trustees of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.
9. HMS Turpin in its wartime configuration. © Trustees of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.
10. HMS Totem following conversion. © Trustees of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.
11. Commander John Coote, CO HMS Totem, 1952. © Coote Family.
12. Commander John Coote and Lieutenant John Fieldhouse on board HMS Totem, 1952. © Coote Family.
13. Photograph of Gibraltar, taken through HMS Totem’s periscope during Operation ‘Cravat’, 20 March 1954. © The National Archives.
14. Photograph of HMS Vanguard, taken through HMS Totem’s periscope during Operation ‘Cravat’, 20 March 1954. © The National Archives.
15. Photograph of HMS Eagle, taken through HMS Totem’s periscope during Operation ‘Cravat’, 20 March 1954. © The National Archives.
16. Photograph of Skyraiders on board HMS Eagle, taken through HMS Totem’s periscope during Operation ‘Cravat’, 20 March 1954. © The National Archives.
17. HMS Trenchant, USS Sailfish, HMS Thermopylae, USS Dogfish, HMS Talent, HMS Tireless, HNLMS Zeeleeuw, USS Tirante, USS Halfbeak, USS Threadfin, USS Chopper, USS Picuda alongside HMS Dolphin, Gosport, October 1960. © Trustees of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.
18. HMS Adamant with an impressive brood of submarines. © Trustees of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.
19. HMS Porpoise, April 1958. © Trustees of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.
20. HMS Excalibur. © Trustees of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.
21. HMS Sidon salvaged in Portland Harbour, 16 June 1955. © Trustees of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.
22. Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, First Sea Lord, 1955-9 and Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, director of the US Naval Reactors Branch, 20 October 1958.
23. The Royal Navy’s first nuclear submarine, HMS Dreadnought. © Trustees of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.
24. Rear Admiral Wilfred J. Woods, FOSM, December 1955–November 1957. © Trustees of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.
25. Rear Admiral Bertram W. Taylor, FOSM, November 1957–November 1959. © Trustees of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.
26. Rear Admiral Arthur R. Hezlet, FOSM, November 1959–September 1961. © Trustees of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.
27. The Royal Navy’s second nuclear submarine, HMS Valiant, May 1967. © Trustees of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.
28. Rear Admiral Hugh S. Mackenzie, FOSM, September 1961–May 1963. © Trustees of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.
29. Admiral Ignatius J. Galantin, USN; British Weapons Officer; Rear Admiral Hugh S. Mackenzie; Captain Charles Shepherd; Rear Admiral Levering Smith, February 1968. © MOD Crown Copyright.
30. Cutaway of HMS Valiant. © Trustees of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.
31. The bow section of HMS Renown under construction, Cammell Laird, Birkenhead, February 1966.
32. HMS Repulse under construction at Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness, November 1966. © BAE Systems.
33. HMS Resolution and HMS Repulse under construction at Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness, 1966. © BAE Systems.
34. Cutaway of HMS Resolution.
35. HMS Resolution launched at Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness, 4 November 1967. © BAE Systems.
36. The Control Room on board HMS Resolution.
37. Commander Ken Frewer, CO, HMS Resolution Starboard crew.
38. The Missile Compartment on board HMS Resolution.
39. The Missile Control Centre on board HMS Resolution.
40. A Polaris A3 missile test-fired from HMS Resolution, 15 February 1968.
41. Faslane, Scotland, before construction work started on the Polaris operating base, 1963.
42. The Polaris operating base at Faslane in the early 1980s.
43. The Royal Navy Armament Depot at Coulport under construction. © MOD Crown Copyright.
44. The Explosives Handling Jetty at Coulport. © MOD Crown Copyright.
45. HMS Repulse, HMS Revenge and HMS Resolution sail up the Clyde.
46. A ‘Valiant’ class SSN escorts a ‘Resolution’ class SSBN out to sea.
47. The Royal Navy’s third SSN, HMS Warspite, October 1968.
48. Commander John Hervey, HMS Warspite’s second CO, 1967. © John Hervey.
49. HMS Warspite returns to Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness following a collision with a Soviet submarine, October 1968. © North West Evening Mail.
50. Commander Sandy Woodward, HMS Warspite’s third CO, 1969.
51. An underwater photograph of HMS Antelope taken through HMS Conqueror’s periscope.
52. The stern of a Soviet ‘Yankee’ class ballistic-missile-carrying submarine. © Sandy Woodward.
53. The bow of a Soviet ‘Yankee’ class ballistic-missile-carrying submarine. © Sandy Woodward.
54. The complete profile of a Soviet ‘Yankee’ class ballistic-missile-carrying submarine. © Sandy Woodward.
55. The Royal Navy’s fourth SSN, HMS Courageous.
56. The first of the Royal Navy’s ‘Oberon’ class conventional submarines, HMS Oberon.
57. HMS Alliance during the Indonesian Confrontation.
58. Royal Marines prepare to disembark from a submarine.
59. Royal Marines dropping by parachute prior to being picked up by a submarine for transportation to their destination.
60. Royal Marines prepare to deploy from an ‘Oberon’ class submarine in folding kayaks known as ‘folboats’.
61. HMS Swiftsure, the first of the ‘Swiftsure’ class SSNs.
62. Cutaway of a ‘Swiftsure’ class
SSN.
63. HMS Grampus in the Arctic during Exercise ‘Skua’, February–April 1965. © National Archives.
64. Photograph of the ice taken through Grampus’s periscope during Exercise ‘Skua’, February–April 1965. © National Archives.
65. HMS Dreadnought surfaced at the North Pole, 3 March 1971.
66. The Royal Navy’s ‘Dolphin badge’ first issued in July 1971. © Crown Copyright.
67. HMS Artemis being salvaged, July 1971.
68. ‘Porpoise’ and ‘Oberon’ class submarines at HMS Dolphin, Gosport.
69. Vice Admiral Sir Tony Troup, FOSM, 1972–4.
70. Admiral Sir Iwan Raikes, FOSM, 1974–77.
71. Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse, FOSM, 1977–81.
72. The General Belgrano sinks after being struck by two Mark 8 torpedoes fired from HMS Conqueror, 2 May 1982. © Associated Press.
73. HMS Conqueror returns home from the South Atlantic flying the Jolly Roger, 4 July 1982.
74. The Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, on board HMS Resolution, July 1982.
75. A Trident D5 missile fired from HMS Victorious during a DASO, October 2012. © MOD Crown Copyright.
76. HMS Vanguard, Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness, September 1993.
77. The naval base at Faslane, Scotland, July 1994.
78. The Explosives Handling Jetty, Coulport, Scotland. © MOD Crown Copyright.
79. A ‘Vanguard’ class SSBN receiving an outload of Trident D5 missiles, Coulport, Scotland.
80. A gathering of FOSMs, HMS Dolphin, 1985.
81. A submarine silhouette painted on the stern of HMS Scylla.
82. A Royal Navy Sub Harpoon test firing, 1982.
83. HMS Trafalgar during sea trials, 1982.
84. Cutaway of a ‘Trafalgar’ class submarine. © Navy News/MOD Crown Copyright.
85. A salvo of three practice Mark 8 torpedoes approaching a Type 21 frigate.
86. HMS Berwick sinking after being struck by a Mark 24 Tigerfish torpedo during a live-fire exercise.
87. The Chief of the General Staff, Soviet Armed Forces, General Vladimir Lobov, visits HMS Revenge, Faslane, 4 December 1991. © Associated Press.
88. HMS Upholder, HMS Unseen, HMS Ursula and HMS Unicorn at sea.
89. HMS Valiant, HMS Olympus and HMS Upholder sail up the Clyde, 1993.
