Some of the most intense security along Plymouth Hoe’s waterfront tonight as HMS Vanguard nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine was outbound from Devonport.
Her refit and nuclear refuelling project started in December 2015, and experienced delays with technical problems, and the imposition of safety restrictions during the Covid 19 pandemic.
HMS Vanguard is due to return to Faslane for workup and to resume deterrent patrols in the North Atlantic.
HMS Victorious should arrive for her much-delayed refit very soon and Westward Shipping News will cover her arrival in the city.
Nearly 19,000 people logged into our Live webcam feed to see the Vanguard class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine leave from its refit programme.
Plymouth shipping was warned in advance to keep the waterways free for the submarine’s departure from Devonport Dockyard.
Crowds were lining the water shore to see the huge Vanguard-class submarine that forms part of the UK’s strategic nuclear deterrent force. Each boat is armed with Trident 2 D5 nuclear missiles.
Like all submarines the Vanguard Class are steam powered, their reactors converting water into steam to drive the engines and generate electricity.
Fitted with world beating sonar, essentially their ears, the system is so sensitive they can hear vessels over 50 miles away.
The Successor boats are expected to have a lifespan of at least 30 years.
