 Valiant in Florida in April 1994 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Valiant |
| 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 & type | Valiant-classsubmarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 285 ft (87 m) |
| Beam | 33 ft 3 in (10.13 m) |
| Draught | 27 ft (8.2 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range | Unlimited, except by food supplies |
| Complement | 116 |
| Armament | 6 ×21 inch (533 mm) bowtorpedo tubes |
The sixth and most recentHMSValiant was the second of Britain'snuclear-poweredsubmarines, and the first of the two-unitValiant class.
She was ordered on 31 August 1960 and laid down 22 January 1962 atVickers-Armstrongs inBarrow-in-Furness.[1] The basic design concept was to use the forward design ofDreadnought together with an aft end consisting of all British nuclear machinery based on theDounreay prototype.[2]
She was launched on 3 December 1963 byLady Thorneycroft, and finally entered service 18 July 1966.
She was refitted in 1970, 1977 and 1989.[citation needed]
In 1977Valiant was trailing a Soviet submarine in the eastern Mediterranean when she suffered a salt water pipe leak, which flooded the reactor compartment with sea water. The reactor was shut down and the compartment pumped dry and after a clean-up of the compartment, the reactor was taken under power again.[3]Valiant took part in theFalklands War in 1982, arriving in the war zone on 17 May.[4] She transmitted more than 300 early air-warning alerts and spent 101 days on patrol off Argentina'sPatagonian coast. On 23 May,[5]Valiant suffered minor damage while submerged offRio Grande when an Argentine fighter coming back from a mission jettisoned its bombs near the submarine in order to secure a safe landing.[6]
In November 2010, it was reported inHansard thatValiant had run aground in theNorth Norwegian Sea in March 1991.[7]
Following the development of engine trouble[citation needed] in June 1994, she was paid off on 12 August 1994.
Her hull and reactor are currently laid up afloat atDevonport Dockyard,Plymouth,Devon, until facilities are available for the long term storage of her radioactive components.
Courageous was selected for themuseum ship to represent the SSN fleet of the Royal Navy during theCold War. Components were removed fromValiant to restoreCourageous.[citation needed]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1982 | |
|---|---|
| Shipwrecks |
|
| Other incidents |
|
