Valiant in Florida in 1994 |
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| Career (UK) | |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | 31 August 1960 |
| Builder: | Vickers-Armstrongs |
| Laid down: | 22 January 1962 |
| Launched: | 3 December 1963 |
| Commissioned: | 18 July 1966 |
| Decommissioned: | 12 August 1994 |
| Status: | Laid up |
| Badge: | |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Valiant-class submarine |
| Displacement: | 4,200 long tons (4,300 t) surfaced 4,900 long tons (5,000 t) submerged |
| Length: | 285 ft (87 m) |
| Beam: | 33 ft 3 in (10.13 m) |
| Draught: | 27 ft (8.2 m) |
| Propulsion: | 1 × Rolls-Royce pressurised water reactor 2 × English Electric steam turbines, 15,000 hp (11 MW) 2 × Paxman diesel-electric generator 1 shaft |
| Speed: | 20 knots (23 mph; 37 km/h) surfaced 28 knots (32 mph; 52 km/h) submerged |
| Range: | Unlimited, except by food supplies |
| Complement: | 116 |
| Armament: | 6 × 21 in (533 mm) bow torpedo tubes |
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. She was ordered on 31 August 1960, laid down 22 January 1962, launched on 3 December 1963 by Lady Thorneycroft, and finally entered service 18 July 1966.
She was refitted in 1970, 1977 and 1989, and participated in the Falklands War in 1982. Following the development of engine trouble in June 1994, she was paid off 12 August 1994.
Her hull and reactor are currently laid up afloat at Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth, Devon until facilities are available for the long term storage of her radioactive components.
During the HMNB Devonport Navy Days 2006, one of the members of the team currently restoring Courageous pointed out that Valiant was one of the first Royal Navy submarines to have her reactor removed (hence the box-like structures that are visible in the photograph below, which penetrate deep into the pressure hull, later attempts on other vessels didn't require these structures). As Valiant had been cosmetically wrecked by this work, Courageous was selected for the museum ship to represent the SSN fleet of the Royal Navy during the Cold War. Components were removed from Valiant to restore Courageous.
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