HMS ''Tireless'' was the third
nuclear submarine
A nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor, but not necessarily nuclear-armed. Nuclear submarines have considerable performance advantages over "conventional" (typically diesel-electric) submarines. Nuclear propulsion, ...
of the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
. ''Tireless'' is the second submarine of the Royal Navy to bear this name.
Launched in March 1984, ''Tireless'' was sponsored by Sue Squires, wife of Admiral 'Tubby' Squires, and
commissioned in October 1985.
During the
Cold War ''Tireless'' was primarily involved in
anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...
patrols in the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
.
After the Cold War, ''Tireless'' was deployed around the world, including to the
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...
,
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
and
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
. At the end of its career, ''Tireless'' was involved in the search for the missing airliner,
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370/MAS370) was an international passenger flight operated by Malaysia Airlines that disappeared on 8 March 2014 while flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia to its planned destination ...
. The vessel experienced a number of serious accidents during its operational life.
''Tireless'' had been scheduled for retirement during 2013, but its service was extended until eventual decommissioning on 19 June 2014. ''Tireless'' was replaced on active duty by
HMS ''Artful''.
[Hansard HL Deb 14 March 2005 vol 670 c116WA]
quoted i
/ref>
Operational history
From commissioning in 1985, ''Tireless'' completed numerous exercises and visits around the world, including a trip to the Arctic
The Arctic ( or ) is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, N ...
in 1991, before entering a refit in early 1996, returning to sea in 1999.
Primary coolant leak
In May 2000, ''Tireless'' developed a serious leak in the nuclear reactor primary cooling circuit, although there was no leak of radioactive material. The nuclear propulsion system was shut down and using backup diesel power ''Tireless'' made way to Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
. The damage was found to be more extensive than first thought, and the boat remained there pending repairs. This created diplomatic tension between Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
and Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
, until the submarine departed on 7 May 2001 after almost a year of extensive repairwork. During that year, all s were inspected for similar problems.
Collision with iceberg
On 13 May 2003, while on exercise in the Arctic
The Arctic ( or ) is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, N ...
and travelling at a depth of 60 metres, ''Tireless'' collided with an iceberg. There was no prior warning of the impending collision from passive sonar
Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances (ranging), communicate with or detect objects on o ...
or other onboard sensors. The submarine's bow was forced down nine degrees and the vessel subsequently broke free of the iceberg at a depth of 78 metres. Some damage was sustained to the upper section of the boat. Before the incident, the Royal Navy had not conducted under-ice operations since 1996.
On 19 April 2004, ''Tireless'' and rendezvoused under the Arctic ice and surfaced together at the North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...
.
''Tireless'' again angered Spain in 2004 when the boat put into Gibraltar from 9 to 15 July for what was explained as "technical reasons." Britain assured Spain that the port call was unrelated to the British celebrations, on 21 July, of the 300th anniversary of Spain handing over Gibraltar to Britain.
March 2007 explosion
In 2007 ''Tireless'' ventured to the North Pole with to participate in the Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station
The Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station 2007 (APLIS07) is a U.S. and Japanese laboratory dedicated to the study of global climate change. It is located on an ice flow about north Prudhoe Bay (Sagavanirktok), Alaska.
It was first established ...
(APLIS). On 21 March, two ''Tireless'' crew members, Leading Weapons engineer Paul McCann and Weapons engineer 2 Anthony Huntrod (Weapons Submariner) were killed in an explosion on board, apparently caused by an oxygen generator candle in the forward section of the submarine. The boat was in service near the North Pole under ICEX-07 along with the USS ''Alexandria'' and had to make an emergency surface through the ice cap. A third crewmember suffered "non life-threatening" injuries and was airlifted to a military hospital at Elmendorf Air Force Base
Elmendorf Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) facility in Anchorage, Alaska. Originally known as Elmendorf Field, it became Elmendorf Air Force Base after World War II.
It is the home of the Headquarters, Alaskan Air Command (AL ...
near Anchorage, Alaska.
According to the Royal Navy, the accident did not affect the submarine's nuclear reactor, and the boat sustained only superficial damage. Part of the exercise was being used to measure ice thickness by using sonar. The film '' Stargate: Continuum''—which was filming on the ice and in the ''Alexandria'' during the exercise—was dedicated to McCann and Huntrod.
2010-2011 deployment
From 9 July 2010 to 12 May 2011, ''Tireless'' undertook a ten-month deployment, spending 253 days at sea, the longest conducted by a Royal Navy submarine in ten years. During the deployment the boat passed through the Suez Canal for the first time, provided protection for the French aircraft carrier ''Charles de Gaulle'' launching aircraft over Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
, and called into the ports of Fujairah
Fujairah City ( ar, الفجيرة) is the capital of the emirate of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. It is the seventh-largest city in UAE, located on the Gulf of Oman (part of the Indian Ocean). It is the only Emirati capital city on the ...
in the United Arab Emirates, Goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
in India and Souda Bay
Souda Bay is a bay and natural harbour near the town of Souda on the northwest coast of the Greek island of Crete. The bay is about 15 km long and only two to four km wide, and a deep natural harbour. It is formed between the Akrotiri p ...
in Crete. ''Tireless'' was also involved in a multi-nation anti-submarine exercise in the Gulf of Oman which saw the Australian frigate HMAS ''Melbourne'' and the French frigate FS ''Dupleix'' attempt to locate the submarine.
2012 South Atlantic deployment
In February 2012, it was reported that either ''Tireless'' or HMS ''Turbulent'' was being deployed to the Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouze ...
amid increasing tension between Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
and the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
over sovereignty of the islands.
However HMS ''Tireless'' surfaced in Southampton in March, conducting towed array sonar
A towed array sonar is a system of hydrophones towed behind a submarine or a surface ship on a cable. Trailing the hydrophones behind the vessel, on a cable that can be kilometers long, keeps the array's sensors away from the ship's own noise sou ...
calibration and testing in the Bay of Biscay before returning to Devonport.
2013 Coolant leak
In early 2013 ''Tireless'' experienced a "small coolant leak that was contained within the sealed reactor compartment", requiring a return to HMNB Devonport for repair.
2013 Mediterranean deployment
''Tireless'' was spotted off the Rock of Gibraltar amidst the tensions between Spain and the UK over the disputed territory of Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
. It was suggested that this SSN could be a key vessel used to strike Syria if military action occurred.
2014 Indian Ocean search - Malaysian Airlines flight MH370
On 1 April 2014, ''Tireless'' arrived in the southern Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...
to join the search for a missing Malaysian airliner, where its sophisticated underwater listening equipment was used in an unsuccessful attempt to detect the underwater locator beacon
An underwater locator beacon is a device that guides search and rescue teams to a submerged aircraft by emitting a repeated electronic pulse.
Application
An underwater locator beacon (ULB) or underwater acoustic beacon, is a device fitted to a ...
of the aircraft's flight recorders.[Malaysia Airlines MH370: Submarine joins search as Malaysian PM Najib Razak arrives to inspect efforts](_blank)
ABC Online, 2 April 2014
Final return to Plymouth
On 1 June 2014 ''Tireless'' returned to Plymouth for the last time before decommissioning, and was formally decommissioned on 19 June.
''Tireless final operations saw visits to Gibraltar, Crete, India, Jordan, the UAE and Australia.
''Tireless'' was moved in 2020 to a basin within Devonport dockyard often referred to as “the graveyard”.
References
External links
Royal Navy HMS ''Tireless''
(royalnavy.mod.uk)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tireless (S88)
Trafalgar-class submarines
Ships built in Barrow-in-Furness
1984 ships
Cold War submarines of the United Kingdom
2000 in Gibraltar
2001 in Gibraltar
British submarine accidents
Maritime incidents in 2007
Vessels involved in the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370