A Royal Navy Vanguard Class submarine has returned to HM Naval Base Clyde after more than six months on deterrent patrol, continuing the UK’s unbroken record of Continuous At Sea Deterrence (CASD) stretching back to 1969.
The submarine left Faslane in March and has spent over 200 days at sea, one of the longest patrols completed by the fleet. Another Vanguard has already sailed to take its place, maintaining the country’s nuclear posture under Operation Relentless.
Around 140 submariners endured the routine of life underwater for over half a year, separated from their families and operating without pause. They were welcomed back on 1 October by relatives waving flags on the jetty, ending months of absence.
Defence Secretary John Healey joined the crew for their final passage home, accompanied by 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. The group toured the submarine and met personnel to hear first-hand accounts of the patrol.
The Vanguard Class, equipped with the Trident missile system, continues to provide the UK’s strategic deterrent until the new Dreadnought Class boats come into service. Increasingly lengthy patrols have become more common as the Navy sustains the deterrent with an ageing fleet while preparing for transition.
The return was recorded by Royal Navy photographers LPhot Daniel Bladen and LPhot Bill Spurr, who captured both the official welcome from leadership and the reunion of submariners with their families at Faslane.
First of all respect and thanks to those enduring these tours.
We often see posts in the comments about DEI spending. These often include comments from Reform types about how there is no point spending money on people who ‘do not want to defend this country’. There are four clearly visible dark skinned people in the photo and most Asians I work with are not dark skinned enough to stand out from this distance so the figure may be higher.
There are 19 personnel in the photo. I think we can all do the maths. I hope some people will rethink their prejudices seeing that these people are pulling what must be one of the hardest postings the British military have..
Agree, I have no idea what Reform have against gingers but I think that guy on the right must certainly have earned his place and his beard is worthy of many a pirate back in the days of old 😀
Reform types.
Sorry, i think you’re exaggerating and twisting it a tad, Chris.
I’ve met several Reform and UKIP members who were black, and one chap who had stepped straight out the Taliban catalogue.
How does that fact resonate on your preconceptions that Reform are all right wing racists?
It’s not true. Most are actually Cultural Nationalists, not far right white supremacists or the damned BNP.
Reform want greater immigration controls, the colour is irrelevant.
I’m amazed you’ve not mentioned the B word, your fav subject whenever you post.
As for the article, my first thought was that it’s no surprise all the top brass are out there for the photo op trying to show that they care,after sending those sailors out on a quite ridiculous length of patrol.
I don’t buy it for a moment, I’d send them and many other MPs out to see how they like it.
This is supposed to be Numero Uno. Our top priority, the CASD.
And it is clearly hanging by a thread.
It’s deffo a Friday night “Fight Night” judging by some of the comments on UKDJ tonight.
Anyway, Welcome back everyone, enjoy your selves and don’t get too wasted !
Seems to be the norm now that all SSBN’s are escorted back to port by the Secretary of Defence. I do start to wonder if these extended patrols are actually strategy 6 month patrols are more efficient but hell on the crew.
Well done for the crew, I hope it’s a while until your next patrol.
You’re right. Last time Healey had his sleeves rolled up on the casing! I might be remembering wrong but I recall he dragged the PM!
Yes Starmer was also there, I’m guessing they are shot on crew to bring her in and the Cabinet is just chipping in where it can 😀
200+ days deterrent patrols are crazy, but have become the norm in the last 3 years. Every such patrol results in a resignations by highly trained and experienced personnel, putting even more pressure on those that are left. I speculate that the low availability of the Astute’s is in part because key personnel have had to be moved to Vanguard crews. I fear that we getting to the point where CASD will have to be gapped or the submarine service will collapse. Decades of under investment combined with an excessive and unrealistic “Can Do” policy by senior RN officers prioritising their careers and hoped for honours has finally come to head – in everything ranging from the desperate struggle to maintain the UK’s nuclear deterrent, no operational amphibious warfare shipping, the appalling lack of frigates, almost no serviceable destroyers, zero at sea SSNs, the total loss of a mine warfare capability beyond the approaches to Faslane, and the near complete demise of the once proud RFA. “Very worrying” doesn’t do justice to the situation any more. Just a comparison of the CSG25 deployment with the previous CSG21 shows how badly things have got for even maximum effort headline events. Another example is the disappearance of the RN from the Arabian Gulf – in early 2023 there were 6 ships, from sometime this month it will be a solitary and elderly minehunter – the frigate Lancaster returning to Devonport for a decommissioning ceremony in November, before being sold for scrap.
Kudos to the Crew and the families (that are the real forgotten heroes).
Enjoy some leave you have deserved it
I could definitely not do that job