Warships and Submarines

A Trafalgar class submarine was one of a series of seven nuclear-powered boats in service with the British Royal Navy between 1981 and 2009. They were all developed and built by Vickers Ship Building firm at the shipyards in Barrow-in-Furness. The first submarine of the class to be laid down was HMS Trafalgar (S107), which was launched on July 1, 1981. She would be commissioned in 1983. The other boats were the HMS Turbulent (1984), Tireless (1985), Torbay (1987), Trenchant (1988), Talent (1989), and HMS Triumph (1991). All seven boats were armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles and with wire-guided, homing Tigerfish torpedoes.

Technical Description

The Trafalgar class submarine was a medium-size fleet boat (attack submarine), with a crew of 130 sailors and officers. It was built with a single hull made of steel, with a low magnetic signature, and it was powered by one Rolls-Royce pressurized-water nuclear reactor, with two steam turbines and two generators. This class was fitted with anechoic tiles on the outer surface of hull to deaden the sound waves of enemy active sonars, sharply reducing the return signal and also to insulate the submarine inner vibrations produced by machinery. You must remember that noise is the main source of submarine detection. Thus, this class was much quieter than their predecessors, the submarines of the Swiftsure class.

Specifications

Type: nuclear attack submarine

Displacement: 5,208 tons (submerged); 4,700 (surfaced)

Length: 85.4 m (280 feet)

Beam: 9.8 m (32 feet)

Draft: 9.5 m (31 feet)

Propulsion: one Rolls-Royce PWR1 nuclear reactor; two GEC geared steam turbines; two Westing House Allen turbo generators; two diesel generators, with a total 18,000 SHP generation.

Maximum Speed: 30 knots (56 km/h) submerged.

Range: unlimited; food supplies holds out 85 days.

Compliment: 130 men

Weapons: five 533-mm (21-inch) torpedo tubes, with 30 torpedoes; Tomahawk Block IV cruise missiles.

Above: the launch of HMS Trafalgar (S107). The angular metal cover on her bows is a security measure to conceal the torpedoes exits.

The Trafalgar Class Submarine HMS Trenchant (S91) sailing in the North Atlantic in the late 1980s.

HMS Torbay.

The USS Nautilus (SSN-571) was the first nuclear submarine in service with the US Navy. It was also the first nuclear-powered ship in the world. She was launched on January 21, 1954 and it was commissioned the same year, on September 30, 1954. Although she was not a stealthy boat and she lacked today's powerful sonar, the nuclear reactor gave the Nautilus an unlimited range as she only had to stop and moor at port for food supply. Built by Electric Boat (General Dynamics) at Groton, Connecticut, the ship is now on permanent display at the Nautilus Memorial and Submarine Force Library and Museum, Groton, CT.

The USS Nautilus was a big submarine. It had three decks and plenty of internal space compared with the conventional fleet submarines. Aside from its ability to stay completely submerged nearly indefinitely, it was also fast. It was able to sail at 23 knots, while remaining completely submerged for months. Her unlimited range enabled the Nautilus to be the first submarine to sail underwater under the icecap of the Arctic, traversing it completely.

Propulsion

The USS Nautilus' propulsion system consisted of a Westinghouse S2W pressurized water reactor. The water heated by this reactor was used to produce steam, which drove the main and secondary turbine. The main turbine drove the reduction gear, which in turn drove the propeller shaft. The secondary turbine drove the AC generator, which produced electricity for the entire boat.

Specifications

Type: nuclear-powered attack submarine

Displacement: 4,092 tons (submerged); 3,533 tons (surface)

Length: 98 m (320 feet)

Beam: 8.5 m (28 feet)

Draft: 7.9 m (26 feet)

Propulsion: Westinghouse S2W nuclear reactor, with one shaft.

Maximum Speed: 23 knots (43 km/h)

Compliment: 92 sailors, 13 officers.

Armament: 6 torpedo tubes.

The USS Nautilus (SSN-571) - footage

The USS Nautilus sailing in the Pacific in 1958