HMS_Trafalgar_(S107) Knowpia

	HMS Trafalgar, 2008
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Trafalgar
Namesake	Battle of Trafalgar
Ordered	7 April 1977
Builder	Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering, Barrow-in-Furness
Laid down	15 April 1979
Launched	1 July 1981
Commissioned	27 May 1983
Decommissioned	4 December 2009
Homeport	HMNB Devonport, Plymouth
Fate	Awaiting Disposal
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Trafalgar-class submarine
Displacement	Surfaced: 4,500 to 4,800 t (4,700 long tons; 5,300 short tons); Submerged: 5,200 to 5,300 t (5,200 long tons; 5,800 short tons);
Length	85.4 m (280 ft)
Beam	9.8 m (32 ft)
Draught	9.5 m (31 ft)
Propulsion	1 × Rolls-Royce PWR1 nuclear reactor; 2 × GEC steam turbines; 2 × WH Allen turbo generators; 3.2 MW; 2 × Paxman diesel generators 2,800 shp (2.1 MW); 1 × 7-bladed conventional propeller; 1 × motor for emergency drive; 1 × auxiliary retractable prop;
Speed	Over 30 knots (56 km/h), submerged
Range	Unlimited
Complement	130
Electronic warfare ; & decoys	2 × SSE Mk8 launchers for Type 2066 and Type 2071 torpedo decoys; RESM Racal UAP passive intercept; CESM Outfit CXA; SAWCS decoys carried from 2002;
Armament	5 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes with stowage for up to 30 weapons:; Tomahawk Block IV cruise missiles; Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes;
Service record
Operations:	Operation Veritas (Afghanistan)

HMS Trafalgar is a decommissioned Trafalgar-class submarine of the Royal Navy. Unlike the rest of the Trafalgar-class boats that followed, she was not launched with a pump-jet propulsion system, but with a conventional 7-bladed propeller.^[3] Trafalgar was the fifth vessel of the Royal Navy to bear the name, after the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar.

Operational history edit

In 2012 a Royal Navy submariner was jailed for 8 years for trying "to pass secrets to the Russians that could have undermined Britain's national security"; one element of this was information on "a secret operation undertaken by HMS Trafalgar.^[4]^[5]

Combat history edit

After Operation Veritas, the attack on Al-Qaeda and Taliban forces following the September 11 attacks in the United States, Trafalgar entered Plymouth Sound flying the Jolly Roger on 1 March 2002. She was welcomed back by Admiral Sir Alan West, Commander-in-Chief of the fleet and it emerged she was the first Royal Navy submarine to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles against Afghanistan.^[6]

Grounding incidents edit

In July 1996, Trafalgar grounded near the Isle of Skye in Scotland.^[7]

In November 2002, Trafalgar again ran aground close to the Isle of Skye, causing £5 million worth of damage to her hull and injuring three sailors. She was travelling 50 metres below the surface at more than 14 knots when Lieutenant-Commander Tim Green, a student in the "Perisher" course for new submarine commanders, ordered a course change that took her onto the rocks at Fladda-chuain, a small but well-charted islet. Commander Robert Fancy, responsible for navigation, and Commander Ian McGhie, an instructor, both pleaded guilty at court-martial to contributing to the accident. On 9 March 2004 the court reprimanded both for negligence. Green was not prosecuted, but received an administrative censure.^[8]

In May 2008 it was reported that the crash was caused by the chart being used in the exercise being covered with tracing paper, to prevent students marking it.^[9]

Decommissioning edit

Trafalgar was decommissioned on 4 December 2009 at Devonport.^[10]

References edit

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Bush, Steve (2014). British Warships and Auxiliaries. Maritime Books. p. 12. ISBN 978-1904459552.
^ Jane's Fighting Ships, 2004-2005. Jane's Information Group Limited. p. 796. ISBN 0-7106-2623-1.
^ ^a ^b Graham, Ian, Attack Submarine, Gloucester Publishing, Oct 1989, page 12. ISBN 978-0-531-17156-1
^ Hopkins, Nick (12 December 2012). "Royal Navy submariner jailed for trying to pass secrets to Russia". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
^ Cheston, Paul; Razaq, Rashid (13 November 2012). "Royal Navy petty officer admits trying to give nuclear submarine secrets to Russia". Evening Standard. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
^ Trafalgar Returns
^ House of Commons Hansard Written Answers (publications.parliament.uk)
^ "Latest Scotland, UK & World News - The Daily Record". dailyrecord.co.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
^ Dawar, Anil (23 May 2008). "Submarine's £5m repair bill blamed on tracing paper". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
^ "Submarine's final sailing to base". BBC News. 10 November 2009. Retrieved 9 September 2022.

External links edit

Royal Navy HMS Trafalgar (royalnavy.mod.uk)
MaritimeQuest HMS Trafalgar pages (maritimequest.com)
The BBC - Pictures of Trafalgar's final voyage (news.bbc.co.uk)

[Steve_Bush_2014-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Bush, Steve (2014). British Warships and Auxiliaries. Maritime Books. p. 12. ISBN 978-1904459552.

[Janes-2] Jane's Fighting Ships, 2004-2005. Jane's Information Group Limited. p. 796. ISBN 0-7106-2623-1.

[Graham,_Ian_1989,_page_12-3] Graham, Ian, Attack Submarine, Gloucester Publishing, Oct 1989, page 12. ISBN 978-0-531-17156-1

[4] Hopkins, Nick (12 December 2012). "Royal Navy submariner jailed for trying to pass secrets to Russia". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 September 2022.

[5] Cheston, Paul; Razaq, Rashid (13 November 2012). "Royal Navy petty officer admits trying to give nuclear submarine secrets to Russia". Evening Standard. Retrieved 9 September 2022.

[6] Trafalgar Returns

[7] House of Commons Hansard Written Answers (publications.parliament.uk)

[8] "Latest Scotland, UK & World News - The Daily Record". dailyrecord.co.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2016.

[9] Dawar, Anil (23 May 2008). "Submarine's £5m repair bill blamed on tracing paper". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 August 2016.

[10] "Submarine's final sailing to base". BBC News. 10 November 2009. Retrieved 9 September 2022.

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