The Royal Navy Trafalgar class submarine HMS Triumph arrived at its base-port HM Naval Base Devonport (Monday 21st) following operations in the Mediterranean.
Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles fired by HMS Triumph were part of coordinated NATO strikes designed to degrade Colonel Qadhafi’s capability to threaten his own people. The submarine was previously successfully deployed on a similar operation earlier in the campaign. In this case the submarine fired and targeted its missiles successfully, as directed by higher command.
The firing of Tomahawk Cruise Missiles does not happen often, but the submarine’s crew is highly trained and prepared for it at any time.
In recent history HMS Triumph joined her sister-ship HMS Trafalgar in a task group participating in Operation Veritas – the British contribution to the invasion of Afghanistan. HMS Triumph’s main contribution during this period was to successfully fire at targets inside Afghanistan.
The current HMS Triumph is the seventh Trafalgar Class submarine and is the nineteenth nuclear powered boat built by the Royal Navy. In February 1991 she was launched by her sponsor Mrs Ann Hamilton who was the wife of the then Armed Forces Minister Archie Hamilton. Following her commission in October 1991 she completed work up and deployed around the World. In 1993 she conducted a 41,000 mile submerged transit to Australia which was, and remains, the longest unsupported solo passage by a nuclear submarine. She has since been refueled and refitted, enabling her to provide at least 15 years’ more active service.
Crown Copyright
