HMS Vigilant (S30)
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HMS ''Vigilant'' is the third of the Royal Navy. ''Vigilant'' carries the
Trident ballistic missile The Trident missile is a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) equipped with multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRV). Originally developed by Lockheed Missiles and Space Corporation, the missile is armed with thermonu ...
, the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent.


Construction

''Vigilant'' was built at Barrow-in-Furness by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd (now
BAE Systems Submarine Solutions BAE Systems Submarines,BAE Systems Submarine Solutions was split out from BAE Systems Marine and operated as such until January 2012. It was named BAE Systems Maritime - Submarines until 2017 before it became BAE Systems Submarines. is a whol ...
), was launched in October 1995, and commissioned in November 1996.


Letter of last resort

Peter Hennessy visited ''Vigilant'' for the '' Today programme'' on BBC Radio 4 in 2007. He reported that there is a grey safe in the control room that has an inner safe that only the commanding officer and executive officer can open. In that safe is a letter from the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the
letter of last resort The letters of last resort are four identically-worded handwritten letters from the prime minister of the United Kingdom to the commanding officers of the four Vanguard-class submarine, British ballistic missile submarines. They contain orders ...
, which contains guidance and orders to be followed should the United Kingdom be attacked with nuclear weapons. This letter is identical to the other three letters in similar safes on the other three
Vanguard-class submarine The ''Vanguard'' class is a class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) in service with the Royal Navy. The class was introduced in 1994 as part of the Trident nuclear programme, and comprises four vessels: , , and , built ...
s carrying the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent.


Operational history

In 2002, protestors from
Trident Ploughshares Trident Ploughshares (originally named Trident Ploughshares 2000) is an activist anti-nuclear weapons group, founded in 1998 with the aim of ''"beating swords into ploughshares"'' (taken from the Book of Isaiah). This is specifically by attempting ...
breached security at Faslane Naval Base where the ''Vanguard''-class submarines are based. Two protestors managed to spray paint ''Vigilant'' with the
CND The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is an organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nucle ...
symbol and the word "Vile". ''Vigilant'' arrived at Devonport on 11 October 2008 for a major refit. ''Vigilant'' returned to the fleet on 27 March 2012 after her £300m refit. In 2013, she test fired her main weapon, a firing of the Trident D5 after three years. ''Vigilant'' returned from a patrol on 23 December 2016 before Christmas. In October 2017, it was revealed that the vessel's captain had been relieved of his command following allegations of an "inappropriate relationship" with a female crew member. Along with the captain, his executive officer was also removed from his post amid allegations of an improper relationship with a different female crew member. Later that month, it was reported that nine crew members had been dismissed for using cocaine.


See also

*
List of submarines of the Royal Navy This is a list of Royal Navy submarines, arranged chronologically. Submarines that are currently active and commissioned are shown below in bold. Pre-First World War * ** , launched: 2 October 1901, decommissioned: 5 November 1913 ** ** ** ...
*
List of submarine classes of the Royal Navy This is a list of submarine classes of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. Dates of construction given. Petrol-electric Diesel-electric * D class — 8 boats, 1908–1912 * E class — 58 boats, 1912–1916 * F class — 3 boats, 191 ...
*
Nuclear weapons and the United Kingdom In 1952, the United Kingdom became the third country (after the United States and the Soviet Union) to develop and test nuclear weapons, and is one of the five nuclear-weapon states under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons ...
* Royal Navy Submarine Service *
Submarine-launched ballistic missile A submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is a ballistic missile capable of being launched from submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), each of which carries a nuclear warhead ...
*
Trident nuclear programme Trident, also known as the Trident nuclear programme or Trident nuclear deterrent, covers the development, procurement and operation of nuclear weapons in the United Kingdom and their means of delivery. Its purpose as stated by the Ministry of ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vigilant (S30) Vanguard-class submarines Ships built in Barrow-in-Furness 1995 ships Submarines of the United Kingdom