Babcock have begun dismantling the UK’s decommissioned submarines with a new demonstrator at its facility in Rosyth, Scotland, according to a company statement on 4 June.
The demonstrator cut off the fin of the first boat to undergo recycling, HMS Swiftsure, a nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) now more than 50-years old.
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Commissioned into service in 1972, Swiftsure was the lead boat in the Swiftsure-class fleet and operated until its decommissioning in 1992.
Working in close collaboration with the Defence Nuclear Enterprise, contractor KDC Veolia Decommissioning Services UK, and Rolls Royce, the legacy boat will be the first of the UK’s decommissioned submarines to be fully dismantled by the end of 2026.
An estimated 90% of Swiftsure’s total weight will be recycled, with some of the high-quality steel repurposed into components for future Royal Navy submarines.
The disposal approach was supported by the results of two public consultations in 2012 and 2015 and reflects the DNE’s commitment to act as a responsible nuclear operator.
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By GlobalData“The project showcases our commitment to sustainable disposal practices,” said Lorraine Russell, senior responsible owner for the Submarine Disposals Programme. “By recycling materials wherever possible, we’re ensuring these vessels that served the nation so well continue to provide value even after decommissioning.”
Every leg of the submarine lifecycle must speed up
Indeed, the milestone is a timely development in the UK’s submarine industrial base since the government announced plans to procure up to 12 AUKUS-class SSNs by the 2030s, as recommended by the long-awaited Strategic Defence Review.
The Royal Navy’s current SSN fleet consists of five – soon to be seven – Astute-class boats. But as the service prepare to operate the most submarines it has had for many decades, industry must be able to manage the entire lifecycle, including their disposal.
Babcock’s milestone shows that Swiftsure will be first nuclear-powered boat recycled in the UK, in a test case for 26 other decommissioned vessels housed in naval bases around the country.
Since 1983 decommissioned Royal Navy submarines have been defueled and stored afloat at either Rosyth or Devonport dockyards, awaiting dismantlement. All seven boats at Rosyth have been defueled, while 15 remain in Devonport of which only four have been defueled, confirmed the Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence, Lord Coaker.
Today (5 June), Babcock also announced that it secured £114m ($155m) for a three-year contract to prepare for the first nuclear defueling of a decommissioned Trafalgar-Class submarine in over 20 years at Devonport.
