HMS Triumph (S93)

Operational history

Triumph sailed to Australia in 1993, travelling 41000 mi submerged without support—the longest solo deployment so far by a Royal Navy nuclear submarine. In that same year, author Tom Clancy published a book called Submarine: a Guided Tour Inside a Nuclear Warship which was centred around Triumph and .

War in Afghanistan

After the 9/11 attacks in the United States, Triumph, along with her sister ship , formed part of a task group in 2001 as part of the American-led invasion of Afghanistan, Britain's contribution being known as Operation Veritas. During Operation Veritas, Triumph launched Tomahawk missiles at targets inside Afghanistan. When Triumph returned home after operations had ended, the boat flew the Jolly Roger, the traditional way of denoting live weapons had been fired.

On 19 November 2000, Triumph ran aground travelling at 22 kn and at a depth of 200 m while off the western Scottish coast. The boat surfaced in a safe and controlled fashion. She was under the command of trainee officers and an investigation attributed the grounding to poor navigation. Triumph suffered only superficial damage.

In 2005, Triumph began a £300 million nuclear refuel and refitting period which also saw the installation of an updated 2076 bow, flank and towed array sonar and a new command and control system. The boat rejoined the fleet in June 2010 and will be the last of the Trafalgar-class submarines to be decommissioned.

Triumph was also featured in the TV programme How to Command a Nuclear Submarine in 2011 in which trainee commanding officers are shown on the Navy's "Perisher Course".

Libya operations

In March 2011, she participated in Operation Ellamy, firing Tomahawk cruise missiles on 19 March, 20 March and again on 24 March at Libyan air defence targets from the Mediterranean Sea. One of these strikes hit a command and control centre in Colonel Gaddafi's presidential compound. Triumph returned to Devonport on 3 April 2011 flying a Jolly Roger adorned with six small tomahawk axes to indicate the missiles fired by the submarine in the operation.

Eleven weeks later on 20 June upon her return to Devonport, in the interim having deployed for a second deployment in the Mediterranean and relieving , she once again flew the Jolly Roger adorned with tomahawks, indicating that further cruise missile strikes had taken place in Libya as part of the ongoing operations there. Analysts believe that in total more than 15 cruise missiles were fired by the submarine during the operations.

2011/2012 deployment

In November 2011, Triumph sailed from her home port in Devonport for a seven-month deployment that saw her away from the UK until summer 2012. The deployment saw her operate in a wide range of locations including the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.

2013

In May 2013, her refit was reported complete and she returned to operational duties which continued to 2018.

Final commission

Following the Integrated Review of 2020, her service was extended by 18 months, to continue until 2025.

In December 2022, the submarine was reported to have returned to sea for post-refit trials, following a four-year refit to extend her service life to about 2024/25. In January 2023, the submarine was reported to have deployed to the Clyde naval base, probably for operational sea training.

As of late 2024, the submarine remained active operating out of the Devonport naval base. In December 2024, the submarine departed Faslane for the final time sailing to Devonport for her planned decommissioning in the new year.

Home port and affiliations

Triumph was part of the Devonport Flotilla based at Devonport.

She is currently affiliated with:

• Blackpool Borough Council
• Newton Abbot Town Council
• The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment
• Sussex University Royal Naval Unit
• Worshipful Company of Upholders
• TS Exmouth Sea Cadet Unit
• TS Amazon Sea Cadet Unit
• 1322 (Newton Abbot) Squadron Air Training Corps
• The Royal Naval Association (Newton Abbot Branch)
• The Royal British Legion (Newton Abbot Branch)

References

References

1. "Trafalgar Class". Royal Navy.
2. Bush, Steve. (2014). "British Warships and Auxiliaries". Maritime Books.
3. (10 April 2020). "US study of reactor and fuel types to enable naval reactors to shift from HEU fuel". International Panel on Fissile Missiles.
4. "HMS Triumph: Trafalgar Class".
5. (21 July 2025). "Sailors mark end to Trafalgar class submarines". [[BBC News]].
6. (4 April 2011). "HMS Triumph returns from Libya operations". Ministry of Defence.
7. (24 December 2001). "Home and away over Christmas". Navy News.
8. (21 November 2000). "Board of Inquiry: Instructions". Flag Officer Submarines, Middlesex.
9. Hopkins, Nick. (20 March 2011). "Air strikes clear the skies but leave endgame uncertain". The Guardian.
10. (21 March 2011). "Missiles target Libyan air defences". [[Navy News]].
11. "Reporting from the Fleet". Navy News.
12. "Top bombing pulverises Gaddafi's ammo bunkers". Navy News.
13. "Home in Triumph – submariners mark successful Libyan mission". Navy News.
14. (October 2017). "Reporting from the Fleet". Navy News.
15. (4 October 2011). "No end in sight as RAF marks 100 days over Libya". BBC News.
16. (10 November 2011). "Reporting from the Fleet". Navy News.
17. (21 May 2013). "130521-Triumph returns to op duties". Royal Navy.
18. . (15 October 2024). ["First ex-Royal Navy nuclear submarine to be disposed of enters final dismantling phase"](https://www.navylookout.com/first-ex-royal-navy-nuclear-submarine-to-be-disposed-of-enters-final-dismantling-phase/).
19. . (22 March 2021). ["The Defence Command Paper and the future of the Royal Navy"](https://www.navylookout.com/the-defence-command-paper-and-the-future-of-the-royal-navy/).
20. Navy Lookout. (11 December 2022). "HMS Triumph has returned to sea after more than 4 years in refit at Devonport".
21. "HMS Triumph arrives in Faslane this morning - following refit and work up, she is likely due to undergo Operational Sea Training".
22. (6 November 2024). "@NavyLookout HMS Triumph outbound from Devonport this morning after 10 weeks alongside.".
23. . (10 December 2024). ["Royal Navy’s last Trafalgar-class submarine sails for the final time"](https://www.navylookout.com/royal-navys-last-trafalgar-class-submarine-sails-for-the-final-time/).
24. Triumphal farewell for last boat ''[[Ships Monthly]]'' February 2025 page 14
25. "HMS ''Triumph'' – affiliations". Royal Navy website.