HMS Torbay Top Uk Submarine Back in Action

It is the Royal Navy's nuclear-powered attack submarine, HMS Torbay.Which is returning to the Fleet following a year-long £8M refit at HM Naval Base Clyde, Faslane, which has equipped her to be the most powerful boat in the fleet.

In addition to routine maintenance work, the Trafalgar class submarine has been upgraded to carry the latest longer-range Block 4 version of the Tomahawk cruise missile and an improved version of the world-leading Sonar 2076 system.

General characteristics
Builder: Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd

Displacement: 4,750 tons surfaced, 5,208 tons submerged

Length: 85.4 meters

Beam: 9.8 meters

Draught: 9.5 meters

Complement: 18 officers, 112 ratings

Propulsion: 1 x Rolls-Royce PWR1 pressurized water cooled nuclear reactor delivering 15,000 shp for 30 kt max

Armament: five tubes capable of firing:Spearfish torpedoes,Tomahawk missiles

Sensors:sonar (bow, flank, active intercept, and towed arrays)periscopes (attack and search)collision avoidance radar


Background Information
HMS Torbay is one of seven 5,200 tonne Trafalgar class nuclear-powered submarines, and entered service in 1987. All of the class are based at HM Naval Base Devonport, in Plymouth.

Under the Swiftsure and Trafalgar class Final Phase Update programme, the newest four Trafalgar boats are being upgraded to bring their equipment up to the standard of the successor Astute class.

The overhaul for HMS Torbay is part of a programme to upgrade all the Royal Navy's Trafalgar Class submarines, and ensure they remain at the forefront of Britain's underwater warfare capabilities until the end of the next decade

The 84m long Trafalgar class boats are armed with Spearfish torpedoes, Tomahawk cruise missiles and Sub-Harpoon missiles. They carry 130 crew and can remain submerged indefinitely. The reactor needs refuelling on average only twice during the boat's service life.

Tomahawk Block IV missiles are built by Raytheon in the US, with missile electronics supplied by its subsidiary in Glenrothes, Fife. BAE Systems and Ultra Electronics in Middlesex have also played a key role in electronics and other aspects of the submarine upgrade to enable launch of the new missile.

The latest version of Tomahawk, successfully tested by the Royal Navy last year, is more responsive and flexible than its predecessor and at a significantly lower unit cost. With a third longer range than its predecessor, it can hit targets 1000 miles away, be retargeted in flight, and can send back images to boost intelligence gathering.

The fully integrated Sonar 2076 is manufactured by Thales Underwater Systems Ltd at Templecombe, Somerset, with design, software development and systems engineering carried out at Cheadle Heath, Manchester and Church Crookham in Hampshire.

It would give a great boast to Royal Fleet.

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