Vanguard Arrives at Devonport

(February 2001)

Vanguard Arrives at Devonport

Trident missile submarine HMS Vanguard arrived at HM Naval Base Devonport on Sunday February 3rd, for the start of a two year refit.

Having arrived off Plymouth late on Saturday evening, Vanguard first appeared off the breakwater at 8:00am on Sunday morning. Half an hour later she left her mooring, flying her long, white decommissioning pennant. Escorted by a small flotilla of tugs, police boats and Royal Marine rigid inflatable craft, and circled overhead by four helicopters, Vanguard slowly made her way around Drake's Island, past Plymouth Hoe and towards the Tamar Estuary. As she did so, hundreds of spectators lined the seafront and gathered at every available vantage point.

Passing Devil's Point, Vanguard proceeded up the River Tamar towards the dockyard. The Torpoint Ferry service had been suspended and new markers had been placed in the river to guide her through the deepest channels. Although Devonport is home to seven Trafalgar class nuclear submarines, Vanguard is three times larger.

Although one tug lost her line in heavy swell, another tug quickly took over, and her arrival - which had been meticulously planned years in advance - was deemed a complete success.

Above: HMS Vanguard edges past Plymouth Hoe. © Crown Copyright.

Upon reaching the Dockyard, Vanguard was not drydocked immediately - instead she spent almost a week berthed in Five Basin. It was not until Saturday February 9th that she finally sailed into Number Nine Dock. She will be fully dry-docked when the dock is drained within the next two weeks.

Built between 1896 and 1907, Number Nine Dock was originally designed to accommodate dreadnought battleships. In order to meet the stringent nuclear safety and security requirements, the dock has been completely rebuilt. This £400 million operation involved extracting 70,000 cubic metres of gravel and debris, reinforcing the dock with 22,000 steel bars and adding 90,000 cubic metres of cement. It will be used not only to refit Vanguard and her three sisters, but also for the Navy's smaller nuclear powered fleet submarines.

Although Vanguard's 16 Trident missiles were recently removed in the United States, her arrival at Devonport has arisen controversy among anti-nuclear campaigners. Vanguard's refit - officially classified as a Long Overhaul Period (Refuel) or LOP(R) - will involve refueling her nuclear reactor.

Devonport won the contract to refit Vanguard and her three ships - Victorious, Vigilant and Vengeance - nine years ago, beating off competition from Rosyth Dockyard in Scotland. Winning the contract was seen as a vital step in securing Devonport's long term future.

[Back]