Name HMS Vigilant Commissioned 2 November 1996 Construction started 16 February 1991 Length 150 m Draft 12 m | Laid down 16 February 1991 Launched 14 October 1995 Displacement 15.9 million kg | |
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Status in active service(Sea trials post refit) Builder Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering | ||
HMS Vigilant is the third Vanguard-class submarine of the Royal Navy. Vigilant carries the Trident ballistic missile, the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent.
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Construction
Vigilant was built at Barrow-in-Furness by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd (now BAE Systems Submarine Solutions), was launched in October 1995, and commissioned in November 1996.
The French Navy also have a SSBN in service called Vigilant.
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, which contains guidance and orders to be followed should the United Kingdom be attacked with nuclear weapons.
Operational history
In 2002, protestors from Trident Ploughshares breached security at Faslane Naval Base where the Vanguard-class submarines are based. Two protestors managed to spray paint Vigilant with the CND 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.
General characteristics
