Status of British Nuclear Fleet 27 October 2000

On 8 Sep 00 all the Swiftsure class, except Splendid, were withdrawn from service for checks, the reason given was that the seriousness of a problem found on HMS Sceptre in 1998 had been reassessed. On 21 Oct 00 all Swiftsure and Trafalgar class submarines were withdrawn from service as a result of an accident which happened on Tireless in May. This accident is now regarded as the result of a generic defect in all Swiftsure and Trafalgar class vessels

Name - Location - Additional Information (in order of age)

Swiftsure class

Sovereign - Faslane - signs of reactor inspection 27 Oct 00
Superb - Faslane - signs of reactor inspection July 00
Sceptre - Rosyth dockyard - refit completed in July 00 but not allowed to leave
Spartan - Rosyth dockyard - in 2nd year of a long refit
Splendid - Faslane - recalled from sea on 21 Oct 00 and now berthed

Trafalgar class

Trafalgar - Devonport base - due to sail around 21 Oct 00 and cancelled
Turbulent - Devonport base - due to sail around 21 Oct 00 and cancelled
Tireless - Gibraltar - serious reactor accident on 12 May 00 in Mediterranean
Torbay - Devonport dockyard - near end of long refit, reactor refuelled in Feb 00
Trenchant - Devonport dockyard - 8 months into a long refit
Talent - Devonport - undergoing major repair until Dec 00 of an undisclosed fault
Triumph - at sea ? - recalled from Toulon, France on 21 Oct 00

Vanguard class (Trident)

Vanguard - at sea - nuclear armed operational patrol
Victorious - Faslane
Vigilant - Faslane
Vengeance - recently in Kings Bay, Georgia, US, loading missiles, not yet returned to Faslane

Futher information is available