SWIFTSURE class HMS subnarine

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The Royal Navy's Swiftsure-class of nuclear fleet submarines (SSN) was a class of fleet submarine in service with the RN until 2010. All were built by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd at Barrow-in-Furness

Six boats were built and commissioned. HMS Swiftsure was decommissioned in 1992 due to damage suffered to her pressure hull during trials. HMS Splendid followed in 2004 after defence cuts caused a reduction in the size of the RN SSN fleet. HMS Spartan was decommissioned in January 2006, with HMS Sovereign following on 12 September 2006. HMS Superb was decommissioned on 26 September 2008. The last boat in the class, HMS Sceptre, was decommissioned in 2010. They are being replaced by the Astute-class submarine.

A few were upgraded to be able to use Tomahawk missiles in addition to their original armaments of torpedoes, mines and anti-ship missiles.

The Dreadnought, Valiant and Improved-Valiant classes all had a "whale-shaped hull", of "near-perfect streamlining giving maximum underwater efficiency". The hulls were of British design, "based on the pioneering work of the US Navy in Skipjack and Albacore." The hull of the Swiftsure was a different shape and maintained its diameter for a much greater length than previous classes. Compared with the Valiants the Swiftsures were 13 feet "shorter with a fuller form, with the fore-planes set further forward, with one less torpedo tube and with a deeper diving depth."

A second major change was in propulsion. Rather than the seven/nine-bladed propeller used by the previous classes, all but the first of the Swiftsure class submarines used a shrouded pump-jet propulsor. The prototype propulsor had powered the Churchill. It is not clear why the Swiftsure was the only one of the class not fitted with a propulsor. The propulsor was perhaps as much as 50% more efficient than a propeller, producing the same speed at lower revolutions, thus reducing the noise signature. In addition all pipework connections to equipment on the main machinery raft had expansion/flexible coupling connections, which also reduced noise. The US Navy secured a licence to copy the main shaft flexible coupling arrangement in US-built submarines.

On 28 May 2008, HMS Superb of the Swiftsure class collided with a rock while submerged in the Red Sea. No injuries, or reactor damage resulted, yet the submarine had to surface and remain surfaced due to damage to the sonar equipment.

S126 HMS Swiftsure Laid down 6 June 1969; Launched 7 September 1971; Commissioned 17 April 1973; Decommissioned 1992 .

S108 HMS Sovereign Laid down 18 September 1970; Launched 17 February 1973; Commissioned 11 July 1974; Decommissioned 12 September 2006 .

S109 HMS Superb Laid down 16 March 1972; Launched 30 November 1974; Commissioned 13 November 1976; Decommissioned 26 September 2008.

S104 HMS Sceptre Laid down 19 February 1974; Launched 20 November 1976; Commissioned 14 February 1978; Expected to decommission in December 2010.
S105 HMS Spartan Laid down 26 April 1976; Launched 7 April 1978; Commissioned 22 September 1979; Decommissioned January 2006.

S106 HMS Splendid (ex-Severn) Laid down 23 November 1977; Launched 5 October 1979; Commissioned 21 March 1981; Decommissioned 2004.

Displacement: 4,400 tons standard; 4,900 tons submerged
Length: 82.9 m
Beam: 9.8 m
Draught: 8.5 m
Speed: In excess of 28 knots when dived
Range: Unlimited (nuclear)
Complement: 116 officers and men
Sensors and
processing systems: bow, flank, active intercept, and towed array sonar
Armament: 5 x 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes, Spearfish torpedoes, RN Sub Harpoon missiles, Tomahawk missiles

Further links: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/ne ... urity.html

http://www.banthebomb.org/archives/subs/swift.htm

Sources: Debbie Corner, Keeper of Photographs/Temporary Exhibitions Coordinator, RN Submarine Museum, Gosport. Wikipedia.
Great Britain 2001 1st class mail, sg2203, scott?

Peter Crichton