Valiant class submarine
Encyclopedia
The Valiant class were a class of nuclear-powered
fleet submarine
s (SSN
) in service with the Royal Navy
from the mid 1960s until 1994. They were the first fully British nuclear fleet submarine; the earlier used an American nuclear reactor. There were only two boats in the class, the first, Valiant (the nameship) commissioned in 1966 three years after Dreadnought, and Warspite the following year. Both were built by Vickers
at Barrow-in-Furness
.
diesel-electric generator that could be used for silent running
. In most other respects (outside the power plant), the Valiants were identical to Dreadnought.
According to former head of the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors
R.J. Daniel, when US Admiral Hyman G. Rickover
, widely regarded as the father of the nuclear submarine, initially learned of the proposed rafting system for the Valiant class he was dismissive of the concept, with the result that the Royal Navy gained an advantage in submarine silencing that the United States Navy
did not introduce until considerably later.
The Valiants were primarily used in the anti-submarine role, important during the Cold War
. In 1967 Valiant set a Royal Navy
(RN) record of sailing 12,000 miles (19,312 km) submerged in twenty-eight days, from Singapore
to the UK
. Both boats received a number of refits, including the capability to use the Harpoon missile
. Valiant and other nuclear fleet submarines served in the Falklands War
in 1982.
The Valiants had long careers: Warspite was decommissioned in 1991, and Valiant in 1994, due to cracks being discovered in her primary to secondary cooling system. They were very successful and served as the template for the Resolution-class
ballistic missile submarine and subsequent Churchill-class
fleet submarines.
Nuclear marine propulsion
Nuclear marine propulsion is propulsion of a ship by a nuclear reactor. Naval nuclear propulsion is propulsion that specifically refers to naval warships...
fleet submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s (SSN
Hull classification symbol
The United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration use hull classification symbols to identify their ship types and each individual ship within each type...
) in service with the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
from the mid 1960s until 1994. They were the first fully British nuclear fleet submarine; the earlier used an American nuclear reactor. There were only two boats in the class, the first, Valiant (the nameship) commissioned in 1966 three years after Dreadnought, and Warspite the following year. Both were built by Vickers
Vickers
Vickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 1999.-Early history:Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor &...
at Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...
.
Design
The class were based on Dreadnought, but were enlarged by 20 feet (6 m) and had a dived displacement of 4,900 tons compared to 4,000 tons. Improvements made since the original Dreadnought meant that they ran significantly quieter under main power, and also had a PaxmanPaxman (engines)
Paxman is a major British brand of diesel engines. Ownership has changed on a number of occasions since the company's formation in 1865, and now the brand is owned by MAN SE, as part of MAN Diesel & Turbo. At its peak, the Paxman works covered 23 acres and employed over 2,000 people. Engine...
diesel-electric generator that could be used for silent running
Silent running (submarine)
Silent running is a stealth mode of operation for naval submarines. The aim is to evade discovery by passive sonar by eliminating superfluous noise: nonessential systems are shut down, the crew is urged to rest and refrain from making any unnecessary sound, and speed is greatly reduced to minimize...
. In most other respects (outside the power plant), the Valiants were identical to Dreadnought.
According to former head of the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors
Royal Corps of Naval Constructors
The Royal Corps of Naval Constructors is an institution of the Royal Navy and British Admiralty for training in naval architecture. It was established by Order in Council in August 1883, on the recommendation of the naval architect Sir William White. It still exists, as a branch of the Naval...
R.J. Daniel, when US Admiral Hyman G. Rickover
Hyman G. Rickover
Hyman George Rickover was a four-star admiral of the United States Navy who directed the original development of naval nuclear propulsion and controlled its operations for three decades as director of Naval Reactors...
, widely regarded as the father of the nuclear submarine, initially learned of the proposed rafting system for the Valiant class he was dismissive of the concept, with the result that the Royal Navy gained an advantage in submarine silencing that the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
did not introduce until considerably later.
The Valiants were primarily used in the anti-submarine role, important during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. In 1967 Valiant set a Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
(RN) record of sailing 12,000 miles (19,312 km) submerged in twenty-eight days, from Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
to the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Both boats received a number of refits, including the capability to use the Harpoon missile
Boeing Harpoon
The Harpoon is an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile system, developed and manufactured by McDonnell Douglas . In 2004, Boeing delivered the 7,000th Harpoon unit since the weapon's introduction in 1977...
. Valiant and other nuclear fleet submarines served in the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
in 1982.
The Valiants had long careers: Warspite was decommissioned in 1991, and Valiant in 1994, due to cracks being discovered in her primary to secondary cooling system. They were very successful and served as the template for the Resolution-class
Resolution class submarine
The Resolution-class submarine armed with the Polaris missile was the United Kingdom's primary nuclear deterrent from the late 1960s to 1994, when they were replaced by the Vanguard-class submarine carrying the Trident II.-Background:...
ballistic missile submarine and subsequent Churchill-class
Churchill class submarine
The three Improved Valiant class submarines, sometimes known as the Churchill class, were nuclear powered fleet submarines which served with the Royal Navy from the 1970s until the early 1990s...
fleet submarines.
Construction Programme
| Pennant Pennant number In the modern Royal Navy, and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth, ships are identified by pennant numbers... |
Name | (a) Hull builder (b) Main machinery manufacturers |
Ordered | Laid down | Launched | Accepted into service |
Commissioned | Decommissioned | Estimated building cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S102 | Valiant HMS Valiant (S102) The sixth, and most recent HMS Valiant was the second of Britain's nuclear-powered submarines, and the first of the two-unit Valiant class... |
(a) Vickers Ltd, Shipbuilding Group, Barrow-in-Furness (b) Vickers Ltd, Engineering Group, Barrow-in-Furness (b) Rolls Royce and Associates Ltd. |
31 August 1960 | 21 January 1962 | 3 December 1963 | July 1966 | 18 July 1966 | 12 August 1994 | £25,300,000 |
| S103 | Warspite HMS Warspite (S103) The latest HMS Warspite was the third of Britain's nuclear-powered submarines, and the second of the Valiant class. She was launched on 25 September 1965 by Mary Wilson, the wife of the then British Prime Minister Harold Wilson, and entered service 18 April 1967.Warspite underwent a two year... |
(a) Vickers Ltd, Shipbuilding Group, Barrow-in-Furness (b) Vickers Ltd, Engineering Group, Barrow-in-Furness (b) Rolls Royce and Associates Ltd. |
12 December 1962 | 10 December 1963 | 25 September 1965 | April 1967 | 18 April 1967 | 1991 | £21,455,000 |
Cited texts
- The Encyclopedia of Warships, From World War Two to the Present Day, General Editor Robert Jackson