Royal Navy's Last Trafalgar-Class Sub Completes Final Journey

The end of an era was marked when HMS Triumph, the seventh and last of the Royal Navy’s Trafalgar-class submarines, returned home to Devonport Naval Base in Plymouth for the final time ready to be decommissioned.

The submarine arrived back at the Cornish naval base on Thursday having sailed from Clyde Naval Base in Scotland, her final voyage bringing to a close nearly 34 years of service. As per a recent Royal Navy press account, as she entered Plymouth Sound Triumph flew her decommissioning pennant and was escorted in by an array of vessels.

Commander Aaron Williams, HMS Triumph’s Commanding Officer, commented: “As HMS Triumph prepares to decommission, we reflect on her legacy with immense pride.

“This submarine has served not just as a vessel, but as a symbol of commitment, courage and camaraderie. And while this chapter of HMS Triumph’s story ends, her spirit will endure in the memories of all who served aboard her, and in the gratitude of the nations she helped protect."

When first commissioned in the autumn of 1991 Triumph was the newest submarine of a class which also comprised her sister vessels Trafalgar, Turbulent, Tireless, Torbay, Trenchant and Talent.

Notable deployments included a 1993 voyage spanning 41,000 miles submerged to Australia, at that time the longest solo deployment by a Royal Navy nuclear-powered submarine. Triumph also saw service as part of the U.K.'s action in Afghanistan in 2001, launching Tomahawk missiles at targets in the landlocked country. She was also called upon to strike targets in Libya in 2011.

Triumph will be officially decommissioned in a ceremony early in 2025. The Trafalgar-class subs have been replaced by Astute-class attack submarines, a fleet eventually set to consist of seven vessels. Five of those boats — HMS Astute, Ambush, Artful, Audacious and Anson — are already in service and the final two, Agamemnon and Agincourt, are under construction at BAE Systems in Barrow-in-Furness.

• You can read more details on the Royal Navy website