HMS Torbay is a decommissioned Trafalgar-class nuclear submarine of the Royal Navy and the fourth vessel of her class. Torbay was the fifth vessel and the second submarine of the Royal Navy to be named after Torbay in Devon, England. The first vessel was the 80-gun second rate HMS Torbay launched in 1693.
 HMS Torbay rounding Calshot Spit, Southampton in November 2010.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Torbay |
| Namesake | Torbay |
| Builder | Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering, Barrow-in-Furness |
| Laid down | 3 December 1982 |
| Launched | 8 March 1985 |
| Sponsored by | Lady Ann Herbert |
| Commissioned | 7 February 1987 |
| Decommissioned | 14 July 2017 |
| Homeport | HMNB Devonport, Plymouth |
| Fate | Decommissioned |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Trafalgar-class submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 85.4 m (280 ft)[1] |
| Beam | 9.8 m (32 ft)[1] |
| Draught | 9.5 m (31 ft)[1] |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | Over 30 knots (56 km/h), submerged[1] |
| Range | Unlimited[1] |
| Complement | 130[1] |
| Electronic warfare & decoys |
|
| Armament | |
She was the first vessel to be fitted with the new command system SMCS-NG.
Torbay was scheduled to be decommissioned in 2015, to be replaced by one of the new Astute-class submarines.[3] As of November 2013[update] she was undergoing extended maintenance and upgrades. The work allowed for a two-year life extension beyond the previously-planned decommissioning date. On 6 June 2017, she entered Gibraltar Naval Base flying her paying-off pennant and, on Friday 14 July 2017, the vessel was decommissioned in Devonport.
Operational history
editTorbay completed a refuel and modernisation process in February 2001.[citation needed]
In early 2006, Torbay was the participant in an experiment in the use of colour schemes to reduce the visibility of submarines from the air. The standard black paint of Royal Navy submarines was replaced by a carefully selected shade of blue. This was the result of research that found that black was the worst possible colour for a submarine attempting to avoid detection from the air. This change is in part the result of the changing nature of Royal Navy commitments since the end of the Cold War, with Navy operations moving from the murky waters of the North Atlantic to the clearer waters of the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.[4]
In November 2010, it was reported in Hansard that Torbay had run aground in the Eastern Mediterranean in April 2009.[5]
In May 2011, she took part in Exercise Saxon Warrior in the Western Approaches. The exercise included the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, HMS Dauntless, HMS Westminster, and a number of other vessels and culminated in a "Thursday War".[6]
In late 2011 she entered a revalidation and assisted maintenance period (RAMP) at Devonport Royal Dockyard. This includes communications upgrades with installation of the Cromwell radio antenna to enhance internal communications and the ship alongside upgrade, plus inspection of the hull and reactor, an overhaul of one of the reactor coolers and upgrades to many other systems. As of September 2012[update] the RAMP was 85% complete, with a return to service originally planned for summer 2013.[7]
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In 2013, there was a fire on board.[8]
She made her final entry to Devonport on 19 June 2017 prior to her formal decommissioning parade on 14 July 2017.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h Bush, Steve (2014). British Warships and Auxiliaries. Maritime Books. p. 12. ISBN 978-1904459552.
- ^ "US study of reactor and fuel types to enable naval reactors to shift from HEU fuel". International Panel on Fissile Missiles. 10 April 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ Hansard HL Deb 14 March 2005 vol 670 c116WA quoted in House of Commons Defence Committee - Fourth Report, 12 Dec 2006
- ^ British Subs Debunk Conventional Fashion: Is Blue the New Black?, Defense Industry Daily, 3 April 2006, retrieved 2010-11-03
- ^ "House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 02 Nov 2010 (pt 0001)". parliament.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ "Navy News - Reporting from the Fleet". navynews.co.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "HMS Torbay achieves major milestone in RAMP programme". naval-technology.com. 21 September 2012.
- ^ "HMS Torbay nuclear submarine evacuated". BBC News. 25 April 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ "Water cannon welcome as submarine sails into Devonport for the last time". The Herald. 19 June 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2017.[permanent dead link]
Bibliography
edit- Hutchinson, Robert (2001). Jane's submarines : war beneath the waves from 1776 to the present day. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0007105588.
External links
edit
- Royal Navy HMS Torbay (royalnavy.mod.uk)