The Defence Secretary and the head of the Royal Navy joined friends and family in welcoming home a Vanguard-class submarine at the end of her latest U.K. nuclear deterrent patrol.
Friends and family of the crew on board the boat — not formally identified in Monday’s Royal Navy press statement in line with usual protocol — lined the shore to welcome the vessel back to HM Naval Base Clyde, aka Faslane.
More unusually, on this occasion the boat’s 140 crew had also been joined on the final part of their journey by Defence Secretary John Healey, Chief of the Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, and Chief of Defence Nuclear Madelaine McTernan.
And after their visit to the submarine at sea, the Defence Secretary and the First Sea Lord joined families within HM Naval Base Clyde to thank them personally.
The Continuous At Sea Deterrent (CASD) has been maintained since 1969, with at least one nuclear-powered and nuclear-missile-carrying ballistic submarine always out on patrol.
Sir Gwyn commented: “Since April 1969, Royal Navy Submariners have proudly delivered the UK’s deterrent patrols, a silent sentinel ready to respond to the most extreme threats to the U.K.
“The mission demands extraordinary commitment, not only from our submariners, but from their families. Their modest strength and resolute support enable us to deliver our deterrent posture.”
Work is ongoing at Faslane to accommodate the four Dreadnought-class boats which will become the U.K.’s next generation of CASD submarines. Work recently began on the final Dreadnought sub at BAE Systems in Barrow; the first boat is expected to enter service in the early 2030s.