The Silent Deep
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18. The submarine depot ship HMS Adamant in the late 1950s with an impressive brood of submarines. By the mid-1950s many Second World War submarines were nearing the end of their lives.
19. The first post-war submarine design to enter series production was the diesel electric ‘Porpoise’ class, which incorporated many of the features of the German Type XXI submarines. Pictured here is the first of class, HMS Porpoise, in April 1958.
20. The culmination of the Royal Navy’s experiments with hydrogen peroxide propulsion were the experimental submarines HMS Explorer and HMS Excalibur (pictured). Hydrogen peroxide was very unstable: Explorer was nicknamed HMS Exploder and Excalibur nicknamed HMS Excruciator.
21. HMS Sidon salvaged in Portland Harbour after an explosion caused by a 21-inch Mark 12 hydrogen peroxide torpedo, codenamed ‘Fancy’, 16 June 1955. Twelve men died in the explosion. The accident marked the end of the Royal Navy’s experiments with hydrogen peroxide.
22. Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, First Sea Lord, 1955–9, operating the prototype nuclear reactor of the USS Triton while Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, director of the US Naval Reactors Branch and ‘the father of the US nuclear navy’, looks on, 20 October 1958. Mountbatten’s relationship with Rickover was crucial in securing American assistance in the foundation of the UK nuclear fleet.
23. The 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement allowed the US Navy to assist the Royal Navy with its own nuclear-propulsion programme, specifically permitting the purchase of an American-made S5W Pressurized Water Reactor for the Royal Navy’s first nuclear submarine, HMS Dreadnought. Dreadnought was designed with a distinctive teardrop-shaped hull and moved the Royal Navy into the nuclear age.
24. Many of those who led the Submarine Service into the nuclear age were former Second World War submarine aces. Rear Admiral Wilfred J. Woods, FOSM, December 1955–November 1957.
25. Bertram W. Taylor, FOSM, November 1957–November 1959.
26. Rear Admiral Arthur R. Hezlet, FOSM, November 1959–September 1961.
27. The first all-British SSN, HMS Valiant, sails up the Clyde, May 1967.
28. Rear Admiral Hugh S. Mackenzie, FOSM, September 1961–May 1963. Mackenzie went on to head the Royal Navy’s Polaris programme.
29. The architects of the US and UK Polaris programmes: Admiral Ignatius J. Galantin, USN; British Weapons Officer; Rear Admiral Hugh S. Mackenzie; Captain Charles Shepherd; Rear Admiral Levering Smith USN, February 1968.
30. HMS Valiant
31. The bow section of HMS Renown under construction at Cammell Laird, Birkenhead, February 1966.
32. HMS Repulse under construction at Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness, November 1966.
33. HMS Resolution and HMS Repulse under construction at Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness, 1966.
34. HMS Resolution
35. HMS Resolution launched at Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness, 4 November 1967.
36. The Control Room on board HMS Resolution.
37. Commander Ken Frewer (CO of Resolution’s Starboard crew) inserts his missile-firing key into the panel in Resolution’s Control Room.
38. The Missile Compartment on board HMS Resolution.
39. The Missile Control Centre on board HMS Resolution. The Weapons Engineering Officer (front) is holding the launch trigger.
40. A Polaris A3 missile test-fired from HMS Resolution, 15 February 1968.
41. Polaris required extensive new infrastructure. The Royal Navy settled on a site at Faslane to build the Polaris operating base. In 1962, before construction work started, the ship scrapyard is to the north and the submarine depot ship with a small brood of submarines to the south.
42. The Polaris operating base at Faslane in the early 1980s, complete with administration and stores facilities, jetties for submarines and floating dock for dry-docking submarines.
43. An extensive armament facility for storing the Polaris missiles and mating them to the nuclear warheads was also constructed across the water from Faslane at Coulport, in the late 1960s. Note the missile storage bunkers to the north and the Explosives-Handling Jetty to the west.
44. The Explosives-Handling Jetty at Coulport with a ‘Resolution’ class submarine alongside embarking missiles before departing on patrol. Note the re-entry bodies containing the warheads covered with protective tarpaulin.
45. HMS Repulse, HMS Revenge and HMS Resolution sailing up the Clyde – a rare photograph, as the patrol cycle requires that when one submarine is on patrol, the others are in either deep or routine maintenance.
46. One of the principal tasks of SSNs was to provide protection of the strategic deterrent. Here a ‘Valiant’ class SSN escorts a ‘Resolution’ class SSBN out to sea.
47. HMS Warspite, the Royal Navy’s third SSN. In October 1968 she hit what was officially described as an ‘iceberg’ but was in fact a Soviet ‘Echo II’ cruise-missile-carrying submarine.
48. HMS Warspite’s second CO, John Hervey, in 1967. His strong leadership ensured that Warspite returned home safely following the collision.
49. Warspite returns to Vickers Shipyard, Barrow-in-Furness, for repairs after the collision. Note the black tarpaulin covering the damage to the conning tower.
50. Warspite’s third CO, Sandy Woodward, 1969.
51. An underwater photograph of HMS Antelope taken through HMS Conqueror’s periscope.
52–53. These photographs of a Soviet ‘Yankee’ class ballistic-missile-carrying submarine were taken through Warspite’s periscope. Note the individual on the conning tower in 53.
54. A complete profile of the Yankee, with numerous individuals now on the conning tower.
55. After the completion of the Polaris programme, construction of SSNs resumed. Pictured here is the improved ‘Valiant’ class HMS Courageous.
56. In the 1960s, the Royal Navy also continued to construct diesel electric submarines. Pictured here is HMS Oberon.
57. The 7th Submarine Division deployed throughout the Far East during the Indonesian Confrontation, 1963–6. Pictured here is HMS Alliance, complete with camouflaged paint scheme and Second World War-era surface gun.
58. Techniques to deploy and extract Royal Marine Special Forces from submarines were pioneered during the Indonesian Confrontation. 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 (folboats).
61. The faster, stealthier, deeper-diving ‘Swiftsure’ class SSN, introduced in the early 1970s, played a leading role in Cold War operations.
62. HMS Swiftsure.
63. Diesel submarines did venture under the ice, but they were unable to stay dived for long. HMS Grampus in the Arctic during Exercise ‘Skua’ in February and April 1965.
64. Looking through Grampus’s periscope while under the ice.
65. Commander Alan Kennedy took HMS Dreadnought under the Arctic ice and surfaced at the North Pole on 3 March 1971.
66. In July 1971 the Submarine Service was issued with its own badge, the Dolphins.
67. In the early 1970s there were worrying signs that the demands of the SSN and SSBN programmes had resulted in the neglect of the conventional submarine fleet. In July 1971 HMS Artemis sank while alongside at HMS Dolphin. She is pictured here being raised shortly afterwards.
68. The Submarine Service expanded rapidly throughout the 1970s. Pictured here in 1976 are ‘Porpoise’ and ‘Oberon’ class diesel electric submarines at HMS Dolphin.
69. Vice Admiral Sir Tony Troup, FOSM, 1972–4. A hardened Second World War submarine ace, Troup developed a far more aggressive posture towards the Soviets.
70. Admiral Sir Iwan Raikes, FOSM, 1974–7, feared that his post would ultimately be absorbed into the Fleet staff and lose its identity and independence.
71. Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse, FOSM, 1977–81. Fieldhouse completed the centralization of Submarine
Command and Control and ensured the service was ready should the Cold War heat up.
72. 2 May 1982: the General Belgrano sinks after being struck by two Mark 8 torpedoes fired from HMS Conqueror.
73. HMS Conqueror returns home from the South Atlantic flying the Jolly Roger, 4 July 1982.
74. Mrs Thatcher visited HMS Resolution shortly after the Falklands conflict. She is pictured here in Resolution’s Missile Control Centre witnessing a simulated firing of a Polaris missile. The Commander-in-Chief Fleet, Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse, is standing behind her.
75. In the early 1980s the Thatcher Government decided to replace Polaris with Trident. Pictured here is a Trident D5 missile launching during HMS Victorious’s DASO, witnessed by the authors in October 2012.
76. A new class of SSBN was required to carry Trident. HMS Victorious, the second of the ‘Vanguard’ class SSBNs, at the Vickers shipyard, Barrow-in-Furness, September 1993.
77. The northern end of Faslane in July 1994. The entire base underwent a vast expansion to accommodate Trident. New berthing facilities and the new ship lift are pictured in the foreground. The old Polaris berths and the Admiralty floating dock is in the background.
78. The Armament Depot at Coulport also underwent expansion. Pictured is the new Explosives-Handling Jetty. In the background is the old Polaris storage area and the old Explosives-Handling Jetty.
79. The new Explosives-Handling Jetty at Coulport, with a ‘Vanguard’ class submarine receiving an outload of Trident D5 missiles.
80. FOSMs gather every ten years for a reunion. Pictured here in 1985 in front of HMS Andrew’s 4-inch gun at HMS Dolphin are, left to right: (standing) Admirals John ‘Sandy’ Woodward, Iwan Raikes, John Roxburgh, Ben Bryant, Tony Troup, ‘Tubby’ Squires, Dick Heaslip; (seated) Admirals ‘Rufus’ Mackenzie, Peter Herbert, Guy Grantham, Sir John Fieldhouse, Horace Law, Sir John ‘Baldy’ Hezlett, Ian McGeoch. Fieldhouse was at that point Chief of the Defence Staff, the most senior submariner in British naval history.
81. In the 1980s submariners found themselves increasingly isolated from their surface colleagues, giving rise to the ‘Black Mafia’, who among other escapades painted this submarine silhouette on the stern of HMS Scylla.
82. The Royal Navy Sub Harpoon, introduced in 1982, enabled submarines to strike at surface ships from a range of sixty miles.
83. HMS Trafalgar during sea trials in 1982. The ‘Trafalgar’ class was the culmination of British Cold War submarine design and a triumph for the naval architects in the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors.
84. HMS Trafalgar
85. By the 1980s, the Submarine Service was starting to resolve the problems with its torpedoes. Here a salvo of three practice Mark 8 torpedoes approach a Type 21 frigate. The torpedoes are set deep to run under the frigate.
86. HMS Berwick sinking after being struck by a Mark 24 Tigerfish torpedo during a live-fire exercise. The torpedo was designed to explode underneath a target, in this case the resultant shockwave breaking the back of the ship.
87. The end of the Cold War. The Chief of General Staff, Soviet Armed Forces, General Vladimir Lobov, visits HMS Revenge at Faslane, 4 December 1991. Astern of HMS Revenge are another SSBN and an ‘S’ class SSN.
88. The 1990s also saw the introduction of the ‘Upholder’ class diesel electric submarines to replace the ageing ‘Porpoise’ and ‘Oberon’ classes: HMS Upholder, HMS Unseen, HMS Ursula and HMS Unicorn.
89. The end of an era. HMS Valiant, HMS Olympus and HMS Upholder: the ‘Valiant’, ‘Oberon’ and ‘Upholder’ classes were all retired in 1993.
90. The Royal Navy’s Polaris fleet was retired in 1996 when the four ‘Resolution’ class SSBNs were replaced by four ‘Vanguard’ class SSBNs carrying Trident missiles. Here HMS Resolution escorts HMS Vanguard up the Clyde into Faslane.
91. SSNs continued to exercise traditional Cold War skills and maintain diversions for their crews. In May 1991, HMS Tireless surfaced at the North Pole to play cricket against the USS Pargo. Note the pitch just to the left of Tireless’s fin: to ensure a good bounce, Tireless had loaded onboard a 22-yard roll of coir-matting before she sailed.
92. HMS Artful on the ship lift at BAE Systems, Barrow Shipyard, waiting to be lowered into the water for the first time, 17 May 2014.
93. HMS Astute
94. HMS Astute and HMS Ambush, part of the Royal Navy’s future SSN fleet. Note the Chalfont Special Forces pod on the back of Ambush.
95. HMS Turbulent leaves Faslane for a deployment East of Suez, November 2008.
96. HMS Trenchant after a dived transit to Singapore, with a number of her anechoic tiles missing.
97–98. In the 1990s, the Service was also equipped with the powerful Tomahawk missile, capable of striking land-based targets hundreds of miles away. Since the end of the Cold War, Royal Navy submarines have fired Tomahawks in a variety of conflicts in the Middle East and Afghanistan.
99. HMS Vigilant prepares to dive to carry out a test-firing of a Trident D5 missile off Cape Canaveral, Florida, on 23 October 2012, during a DASO. The large telemetery mast is designed to provide data from the submarine to those monitoring the launch.
100. The CO of HMS Vigilant, Commander Mark Lister, completes the DASO countdown, 23 October 2012.
101. Lieutenant Commander David O’Connor in the final stages of the DASO countdown with his finger on the trigger.
102. A Trident D5 missile launched from HMS Vigilant reaches into the sky during the October 2012 DASO.
103. Under current plans the British Government is committed to replacing the ‘Vanguard’ class in the early 2020s. An artist’s impression of the ‘Vanguard’ replacement submarine – currently known simply as ‘Successor’.
104. The Perisher course. HMS Talent off the Isle of Arran.
105. Commander Hywel Griffith looks on anxiously as one of the Perisher students guides his submarine into an underwater ravine south of Arran.
106. One of the Perisher students takes the periscope for a quick ‘all round look’ of the surface.
107. The attacking frigate taken through the periscope.
108. The successful Perishers: (left to right) Lieutenant Commander Louis Bull, Lieutenant Commander Ian Ferguson, Commander Ryan Ramsey (Teacher), Lieutenant Commander David Burrill and Lieutenant Commander Ben Haskins celebrating in the Ward Room of HMS Triumph moments after finding out that they have passed the course. HMS Triumph’s Jolly Roger (with Tomahawks) is behind them.
109. How a submarine dies. The laid-up nuclear submarines at Devonport: Valiant, Warspite, Conqueror, Courageous, Sovereign, Splendid, Spartan, Superb, Trafalgar, Sceptre, Turbulent and Tireless. They will soon be joined by HMS Talent, HMS Torbay, HMS Trenchant and HMS Triumph.
110. Dreadnought, Churchill and Swiftsure in the basin at Rosyth.
111. Resolution, Repulse, Renown and Revenge in the basin at Rosyth.
Submarine Profiles
Note: Only the main classes of submarines that feature in the book are listed in this section.
Key:
SLBM – Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile
SLCM – Submarine Launched Cruise Missile
SSK – Conventional Submarine
SSN – Nuclear Powered Submarine
SSBN – Nuclear Powered Ballistic Missile Submarine
SSGN – Nuclear Powered Cruise Missile Submarine
ROYAL NAVY SUBMARINES 1945 – Today
S Class SSK (typical example of Group III)
Units: 62 Displacement: 1939 orders: 865 tons surfaced / 990 tons submerged; 1940–41 orders: 890 tons surfaced / 990 tons submerged; 1942–43 orders: 854 tons surfaced / 990 tons submerged Dimensions: 217 ft × 28 ft, 7 in Armament: 7 × 21-in torpedo tubes or 6 × 21-in torpedo tubes (1942–43) / 1 × 3-in gun / 1 × 20mm Oerlikon and variety of configurations Machinery: Diesel engines Speed: 14.5 kn surfaced / 9 kn submerged Range: 6,000 nm at 10 kn / 120 nm at 3 kn Diving Depth: 300–350 ft Complement: 48 In Service: 1939–1950s (either lost, scrapped,
sold or modernized)