HMS TRIUMPH, the last of the Royal Navy’s Trafalgar-class attack submarines, sailed for the final time from HM Naval Base Clyde earlier this week.
Personnel from across HMNB Clyde, the Home of the Submarine Service, gathered at the dockside on Tuesday to wave goodbye, and show their appreciation for the nuclear-powered submarine and her 110-strong crew.
Water cannons provided by Clyde-based tugboats sent her off in style to Devonport, Plymouth, where she will soon retire from service after 33 years.
It marks the end of her time on the front-line operations, which took her around the globe to all corners of the planet.
Commander Aaron Williams, HMS Triumph’s commanding officer, said: “As HMS Triumph prepares to decommission, we reflect on her legacy with immense pride. The submarine has served not just as a vessel, but as a symbol of commitment, courage, and camaraderie.
“And while this chapter of HMS Triumph’s story ends, her spirit will endure in the memories of all who served aboard her, and in the gratitude of the nation she helped protect.
“Although HMS Triumph has carried out her mission with quiet strength and dedication, behind every mission, deployment, and triumph has been the sacrifice and steadfast support of the families who stood behind us.”
Triumph was laid down in Barrow shipyard in February 1987 and commissioned less than five years later in October 1991, the last of the class to be built.
The boat deployed to Australia in 1993, travelling 41,000 miles submerged without support –- at the time, the longest solo deployment by a Royal Navy nuclear-powered submarine.
She later served in Afghanistan, launching Tomahawk missiles at targets, and later deployed to Libya –- again firing her weaponry at positions from the Mediterranean Sea..
The submarine was the tenth Royal Navy vessel to bear the HMS Triumph name. The first was a 680-gun galleon built in 1561, the largest built in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Royal Navy director of submarines, Rear Admiral Andy Perks, said: “The last of the Cold War submarines, these vessels have helped keep our country safe for over 30 years.”
Triumph will be officially decommissioned in a ceremony in 2025 as the baton is fully passed to the Astute-Class attack submarines.
The largest, most advanced and most powerful attack submarines ever operated by the Royal Navy, the Astute submarines will consist of seven vessels.
HMS Astute, HMS Ambush, HMS Artful, HMS Audacious and HMS Anson are all currently in service and operating from HM Naval Base Clyde. A further two boats are under construction at BAE Systems in Barrow-in-Furness.
