HMS Splendid (S106)
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| Career (UK) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | HMS Splendid |
| Operator: | Royal Navy |
| Builder: | Vickers |
| Launched: | 5 October 1979 |
| Commissioned: | 21 March 1981 |
| Decommissioned: | 2004 |
| Motto: | Splendidly Audacious |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Swiftsure-class submarine |
| Displacement: | 4,900 tonnes (dived) |
| Length: | 82.9 metres (272 ft 0 in) |
| Beam: | 9.8 metres (32 ft 2 in) |
| Draught: | 8.5 metres (27 ft 11 in) |
| Propulsion: | One Rolls-Royce pressurised water nuclear reactor (PWR1) Two WH Allen turbo generators One Paxman diesel alternator One emergency drive motor |
| Speed: | In excess of 20 knots (37 km/h), dived |
| Complement: | 116 officers and men |
| Armament: | 5 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes Spearfish torpedoes RN Sub Harpoon missiles Tomahawk cruise missiles |
HMS Splendid (S106) was a Royal Navy nuclear powered fleet submarine of the Swiftsure class. HMS Splendid was launched at Barrow on October 5, 1979, by Lady Ann Eberle, wife of Admiral Sir James Eberle, then Commander-in-Chief Fleet. The boat was built by Vickers Shipbuilding Groups and was under the command of Cdr. R.C. Lane-Nott.
Since her launch in 1979, she has taken part in many conflicts involving British forces around the globe.
Her first major conflict came in 1982 when Argentine forces invaded the British held Falkland Islands. Splendid was one of the first submarines to reach the islands, arriving mid April, after sailing from Faslane. Unlike HMS Conqueror, Splendid did not fire in anger, she did however provide valuable reconnaissance to the British Task Force on Argentine aircraft movements. Splendid's presence also ensured that the Argentine Navy would not dare leave its port.
In the late 1990s, HMS Splendid became the first British ship to be armed with American-built Tomahawk cruise missiles. Splendid fired these in anger against Serbian targets in Belgrade during the Kosovo War. She again fired these weapons against Iraqi targets in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Her action in the Iraq War was the subject of a BBC documentary, entitled HMS Splendid, which followed the personal stories of Commander Paul Burke and his crew.
In July 2003, HMS Splendid returned to her home at Faslane Naval Base on the River Clyde in Scotland. She was decommissioned in HMNB Devonport, Plymouth in 2004 due to defence cuts. Commander Burke was later awarded the OBE for his leadership of HMS Splendid in the Gulf.
[edit] Sources
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/3075011.stm
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/3608737.stm
[edit] External links
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