An Open Source Intelligence analyst has revealed that it has been 47 days since one of Britain’s nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) was last deployed.
This period of inactivity underscores the Royal Navy’s challenges in maintaining its submarine fleet’s operational readiness due to a maintenance backlog.
Please note, readers, that the Vanguard fleet, carrying the Continuous At Sea Deterrent, continues to meet its obligations.
The data, shared by @TBrit90, reveals that HMS Triumph, the last SSN to be operational, has remained in Devonport for 47 days following its post-trip operations concluded on July 3rd. This inactivity marks a significant lapse in the Royal Navy’s at-sea presence, critical for both national defence and global maritime security.
47 days since the Royal Navy had a SSN at sea.
121 days since an Astute was at sea. https://t.co/4n5vk2wJ0v pic.twitter.com/VaydqXH8FN
— Britsky (@TBrit90) August 19, 2024
Even more concerning is the prolonged absence of the Astute-class submarines from active duty. It has been 121 days since an Astute-class submarine was last at sea—HMS Anson completed its post-trials operations on April 20th.
The newest class of vessels, the Astute-class submarines, particularly, are vital for intelligence operations and maintaining a strategic underwater presence. Their absence from operational duties may reduce the UK’s ability to respond to maritime threats, including those posed by adversarial submarines in the North Atlantic and beyond.
According to the data, the inactivity is largely due to ongoing maintenance and refitting operations. For example, HMS Audacious has been undergoing refit at Devonport for 506 days, while HMS Ambush and HMS Artful have been out of action at Clyde for 749 and 476 days, respectively. The length of these maintenance periods raises questions about the Royal Navy’s ability to keep its submarine fleet operational.
An article by Jerome Starkey, Defence Editor at The Sun, provides further context to this situation. Starkey reports that all six of the UK’s hunter-killer submarines are currently stuck in port, primarily due to maintenance delays and a lack of available dry docks. HMS Audacious, for example, has been at Devonport for 15 months, while HMS Ambush has been out of action at Faslane since August 2022.
The Royal Navy previously told Starkey that it was making a “significant investment” in infrastructure at bases, adding, “Rest assured, British waters are always fully protected with assets including warships, patrol aircraft and subs.”
Absolute insanity. Billions for boats to sit idle crews to go without experience. Beats me why these can’t just be dry docked at rosyth for maintenance if theres a problem at faslane.
Got a feeling it’s Devonport that has the problems.
They need very specific drydocks and at preset there simply is not one…the only available SSN drydock is in Devonport and at preset that is being rebuilt to convert from managing the trafalgar class to astute class….
of the Devonport drydocks that can take nuclear boats:
1) is set aside with a V boat permanently in it under refit.
2) is being converted from T boat refit to A boat refit
3) is being converted to manage the old boat decommissioning..
we know the issue with the ship lift Faslane…and that resource is entirely focused on keeping the deterrent running…
it’s utterly shameful and the likely only way the RN will be able to generate an A boat for the CBG 2025 is probably because the have essentially had Anson against the wall since her commissioning trials…and it’s only chance of actually keeping a couple of SSN available into 2025-26 is that Agamemnon will be undergoing commissioning trials in 2025..essentially the RN is dependent on its newly commissioned SSNs and trafalgar…but trafalgar no longer has a dry dock available and is due for decommissioning.
Triumph bearing the load…
Or is there a problem with our new boats that they arent telling us?? big secret??
By all accounts it’s a problem with maintenance and re-fit facilities.
It’s been well known for years.
Dry dock re-fits are just as much of an issue.
Pretty much what I said ?
Yes there is not actually a drydock to refit and repair them in….they never built the bloody infrastructure to keep them running…
essentially the only available Devonport drydock for SSNs was for T boats…that is now in the process of being pulled apart and rebuilt for the A boats…
No, as it says in the article, she has not been out for 47 days now.
Should this knowledge be in the public domain? Can understand if it was a few months after the event but don’t understand the wisdom of doing it during the present.
It’s not like they can hide the subs being alongside…
That’s kind of the point I’m trying to make. With so few of what are our most important military assets, in my opinion, isn’t it time we came up with a solution that doesn’t let potential foes know the location or condition these boats are in. I don’t pretend to know nearly enough on the subject, so if I’m talking bollox I apologise, but I don’t see us ever having more than 9-10 and thats being optimistic. So surely some of infrastructure to keep prying eyes away makes sense. Is something like that doable?
Total disgrace
Take a look at our Navy. No SSN’s, a couple of T45’s, maybe 3 T23’s, No Fort, RFA struggling to retain crews or even being able to sail,T31launch slipped by nearly a year, T26 still fitting out after 2 years with at least two more years ahead, Both Carriers in Portsmouth.
What a bloody shambles.
Not even the most positive amongst us here can see any good side to all this surely ?
No, and I’m a pretty optimistic sort of chap most of the time.
Trouble is we overdrew the peace dividend and the debt is now being paid with considerable interest – just when we need the fleet more than at anytime in the last 20 years.
1667 Dutch attack on the Medway, saw a neglected English Navy taking a big hit. Even the defending shore batteries had been neglected..! So the Dutch sailed in sank or captured the English ships and sailed away again. History has lessons that we ignore at our peril.
Long term things look like they might improve but the next few years seriously concern me. RN / RFA fleet run down, RAF too small, no dedicated SAM defences for home land defence and then there is the Army…
Could write a book but it would be tooooooo depressing.
Cheers CR
I look at and look to history too, this current situation is pretty much worse than anytime in our last 500 years or so. 80 years ago it was the size of the RN that saved us and even then it was way too small to comfortably cope with the threats it faced. Just look at it now, utter disgrace and no-one from the past few decades of government give’s even the faintest F–K .
Personally I’d like to bundle the whole lot of them in the last River Class and send them through the Bosporus with their 20mm gun and Blair at the helm, Brown stoking the fires and Cameron(call me Dave) wagging his finger.
Whilst I don’t disagree with the argument that there is a problem, but 80 years ago most countries had big navies, these days only really China and US do and we couldn’t take on either of them realistically. Outside those 2 and Russia on paper, which country can field a navy that out classes ours?
On paper ? Sorry but the reality of todays RN’s actual availability far out weighs any “on paper” capability and, we are still a bloody Island.
Please have a look at our Naval assets back then. Tell us how you think they compare to now.
Sorry mate, I’m really not trying to put your comment down but seriously, we are in a terrible state and I’m not the only one that sees this.
But comparing to then isn’t a fair comparison, as all navies have sunk. A navy is designed to fight another navy and which country has a better one today, outside US and China?
Even the USN isn’t the same size as the RN back then. Ok it means can’t be in as many places at once and makes defending shipping lanes way harder but that comes with the costs being so high for modern ships.
There is clearly a issue and it needs fixing but all countries have the same issue it’s not just the UK. We have to hope that many of these vessels could be rushed back to service if ever needed but right now we are at peace and so they arent. What is kept secret is how much time it would actually take to achieve that.
There is a significant difference to 80 years ago though (actually there are two). Although we are the world’s sixth largest economy, 80 years ago we still had an empire and the wealth of the empire still flowed into the UK. We controlled most of the world’s trade. And we weren’t paying for universal health care.
Steve we don’t need to take on the whole Chinese navy..we need to be able to manage our interests and if we can put a decent CBG in into the area of interest …we can locally overmatch or match china in that specific area…
considering the RN can only deploy a few warships and no subs i’d say they are at this moment outclassed by: usa, china, japan, france, south korea, australia, india(!), italy, spain?, turkey, netherlands, taiwan… im sure there are others im forgetting. its in shambles mate.
i don’t have the data but how many of them nations actually have their ships deployed and not just in territorial waters.
Hi CR , liking you analogy re the dutch in 1667. I have become increasingly pessimistic on matters defence. I don’t hold much hope for the 2025 defence review, but would be happily surprised to be proven wrong.
Agreed. Rachel Reeves seems to be in the driving seat, despite more than one Minister saying 2.5% GDP..!
Hopefully sense will prevail.
Cheers CR
CR. I must confess that as I age, I’m becoming somewhat more cynical! Still, we must remain positive – fingers crossed🙏
Mate, I’m still trying to understand why it takes 10 years to build a type 26 (fist steel was cut in July 2017). I image COVID delayed this by a year or so , but 10 years, seriously!
I think your comment on crew retention is spot on, a shambles indeed.
“Peace Dividend”
What a mess. Hardly a ship (boat) anywhere. The U.K. is becoming a third world power incapable, except on paper, of supporting anybody, anywhere. AUKUS…with what? Dropped in in by the Tories with Labour no doubt looking for cuts. We might as well sell up. 😡
I have to agree with you mate. A total shambles that no-one can put a good spin on. We seem to be blindly heading to hell in a handcart and anyone who dares to speak up get’s shut down immediately.
To think that so many lives were sacrificed to keep this Country free makes me cringe when I see just how bad it all is now.
I was recently given my Grandads war diaries, it makes rather sobering reading, he was one of the lucky ones. He’d be mortified now.
The only positive thing I would say is that the RN is hitting its Nadir in the next year or so..completely shameful but we will see spring shoots
1) the drydock in Devonport will at some point be ready to start taking the Aboats for refit…
2) the ship lift capacity will be doubled
3) the last two A boats will be commissioned in 2025/26 which means there will be two newly commissioned vessels available.
So although it’s in a shocking state now the SSN force will hopefully be in a better place by 2027/28..( two new boats and a coupe of boats gone through maintenance/refit cylces… which looking at china is the most likely time we will need them.
Thanks for your reply, my friend. What you say is true. I really don’t know what has happened to our country in the last thirty years and I can’t help but think it’s only going to get worse. From your post I take it your grandad made it through the war. My dad spent all the war in the Atlantic and Arctic hunting U boats. Ship attacked and damaged twice but he managed to get away with some “minor” shrapnel wounds. It’s a wonder I’m here really. 🙂
Agreed it is hard to be hopeful these days 😞 🇬🇧
It certainly is. I’ve never known the country so polarised and upset. 🙃
To be honest Geoff we are in the Nadir at present and should be coming out of that for 2026/7..
1) 10 docks refit will be finished some time after 2025, although the primary function of this dock will be for A boats, it will fit SSBNs
2) 15 dock should be ready for the end of 2024 and will be able start the work on the astute fleet then.
so by 2025 Devonport should go from 0 available docks for the Astute’s to 2….as well as the new east wall SSN support facilities….
Also we should have 2 new SSNs commissioning in 2025/26…so by 2027 ( the time china may start acting up)..we should have 2 new boats and a couple of years worth of maintenance and refit on the the older A boats from 2 docks…
I hope you’re right Jonathan, but what a state to be in. We’ve had thirty years of political fiddling and all three services desperately need a respite from re orgnisations and “fitted for but not with” and constant delays. Fingers crossed, my friend.
Navy Lookout had an article on this on 7 August. The problem would appear to be down to a lack of suitable dry-dock facilities for maintenance etc. A somewhat gloomy read.
I don’t buy the dry dock excuse. Some of these boats did hardly any time at sea before being tied up to rot. I thought Dominic Cummings cryptic tweets recently probably lift the lid slightly on what’s going on. Basically a dumpster fire.
If I were Australian, I wouldn’t touch this with a barge pole
Many of those boats were in the water for up to four years before being commissioned…..
According to Ship and Offshore Badcocks’ upgraded facilities at Devonport will be able to handle up to 4 submarine maintenance projects simultaneously – from 2027..! So still 3 years of maintenance bottle necks potentially.
If CGS General Sir Roly Walker is right and we need to be ready for war by 2028, Babcock are going to be very very busy clearing the backlog. No chance. Lets hope he is wrong or, heaven forbid, our politicians smell the coffee and do something to improve matters ASAP.
Hmm, too late. FUBAR.
CR
FUBAR actually sums it up pretty well TBH.
I actually stumbled on this site something like 10 years ago now, read something about the state of the RN, made a comment, stayed around for a while and have been posting stuff pretty much ever since.
It’s got one hell of a lot worse since then.
All those years of leaner and fitter and more with less. No backbone at the top because everyone’s covering their own arse. It’s only when they become Ex Chiefs of Staff you here a mumble from them otherwise it’s just towing the party line. No point in talking about more subs until they sort their shit out. Our navy should be the pride of our nation not something where the UK is the ship and our sailors just land based matelots.
Sell them! If we don’t use them, then loose them. Or… is this part of a bigger issue, where BAE ‘kit’ is shoddily made, thus requiring constant fixing and maintaining? (must check my bae share prices)
3 Astutes not at sea for over a year….
This situation must be totally unacceptable it makes a mockery of both the submarine service and the Royal Navy. If I was Minister of Defence I would get the relevant people together and give them a written warning, get these boats to sea or resign. This country his now a complete joke.
If they need dry docking and there’s none available what would that achieve?
What’s the point of having world class submarines and no infer structure to support them surely someone should have known this before building them
As seen on Navylookout, at least part of the backlog of issues stems from the unexpected failure of the ship lift in Faslane and the domino effect that has had. Now you could argue that a Governemnt 30 years ago should have sourced enough spares from the company then, but by the time it failed that was long since not an option. Same for the other drydock capacity, anyone who made choices about spending or not spending is long gone from the positions and those left holding the can now can’t just wave a hand and fix the issue.
Take your point Mark but admit my experience is more Army based but find it incredible that virtually all our submarine force is inoperative. It seems to me that there is such a lot of bad decision making in all our Armed Services at the moment and nobody wants to accept responsibility.
Not exactly on point, but indicative of attitudes..
3 years ago I worked at DE&S in Land systems. I was contacted by a Navy desk at ABW about a diesel engine used for emergency power on some Frigate. The base engine was also used on Warrior IFV, and the Navy wanted to source a spare flywheel
These gennies are started lots, but run rarely. Result is worn starter rings. So panic mode when they had no spares..ship can’t sail without them.
Through friends at Perkins Engines I tracked down the last 5 flywheels that could fit the particular engines the Navy had, AND a full set of bolts and the correct torque settings. Perkins were happy to gift these, as they were due for scrap.
Now comes the Navy part
You can have all five free, if you collect them from Derby..We only need one..but you’ve more ships with the same engine..yes but only ones waiting..But all the ships run these things twice a day, every day..all the starter rings will be wearing out…Yes but we can’t buy 5..they’re free, pick them up before they’re scrapped…Sorry, I can only authorise the transport for one..and thus a 3 tonner drove to Derby and brought only 1 flywheel…….yes the rest were scrapped…Phone call from a friend this week Can you get another 2 Flywheels?…
Scandalous. As revealed by this invaluable website. But it should be national news.
If we have just one, old, SSN capable of going to sea, does this not raise the question of whether we need them at all? If Britain wants to have global reach, these are probably the most useful assets. If we just want to protect UK and territorial waters, they probably aren’t. Something smaller, cheaper and actually capable of putting to sea might do.
There have been many comments on this site contrasting the poor management of ground forces with the relative success of the RN. I don’t see it. Only partly excused by inadequate funding, the RN has mismanaged just about everything for years. From overplaying their hand in pushing for 2 oversized and overpriced carriers we can’t afford to equip, through years wasted on the global combat ship concept, years of failing to plan replacement frigates, years arguing we had no need of ASMs until we suddenly did, and then the utter failure to ensure that even our greatly reduced SSN fleet can be maintained.
Astute design was finalized over 25 years ago, ample time to ensure adequate maintenance facilities would be made ready.
This reminds me of the trouser leg issue the T-boats had in the early noughties, every boat stuck alongside. Took months to find & then implement the fix.