HMS Vengeance, a Royal Navy submarine carrying Trident nuclear missiles, has returned to its Scottish base after a record-breaking 217 days submerged on patrol. The 140-strong crew set out from Faslane, near Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute, on 12 April.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting was at HM Naval Base Clyde to welcome the crew home. He stated it "doesn't sit lightly" with him that crews are asked to serve longer than intended, adding that the whole country should be proud of the submariners and the nuclear deterrent.
The typical patrol length for the UK's Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarines has more than doubled in recent years, with six-month durations now routine due to a shortage of seaworthy vessels. HMS Vengeance was reportedly delayed last weekend when the submarine replacing it on patrol had to return to base for a technical fault.
The Vanguard-class boats, commissioned in the 1990s, were expected to serve for 25 years but are now anticipated to operate for up to 40 years. The first Dreadnought-class submarines are expected to begin replacing them in the early 2030s, a programme Streeting said was "on track".