The UK Royal Navy (UKRN) has formally decommissioned HMS Triumph, the last Trafalgar-class nuclear submarine at Devonport Naval Base.
The event saw personnel, who served in the submarines HMS Talent and HMS Triumph, along with former crew assemble to hold Divisions at HMS Drake in Devonport.
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Captain Dave Burrell, who served as the executive officer of both Talent and Triumph, said: “They are the last of the Cold War warriors, although the Cold War never went away. We continued to play our dangerous game.”
Designed initially for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, the Royal Navy’s seven Trafalgar-class submarines evolved to undertake additional tasks such as covert surveillance and inshore reconnaissance.
The names of the seven vessels are Trafalgar, Turbulent, Tireless, Torbay, Trenchant, Talent and Triumph.
Designed primarily for Cold War operations to protect the UK’s nuclear deterrent forces, these vessels have demonstrated exceptional adaptability.
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By GlobalDataTheir missions have ranged from intelligence gathering to launching Tomahawk cruise missile strikes and supporting commando raids; many operations remain confidential.
The collective service span of the submarines exceeds 200 years, with HMS Triumph having the longest operational period at 34 years.
HMS Triumph, which was commissioned in October 1991, launched Tomahawk missile against Taliban forces post-9/11 in 2001 and against late colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi’s (de facto leader of Libya from 1969) troops during Libya’s uprising in 2011.
The submarine made its last journey from Clyde Naval Base to Plymouth in December 2024.
The introduction of the Astute-class submarines, beginning in 2009, has led to the gradual retirement of the Trafalgar-class fleet.
HMS Agamemnon is nearing completion in Barrow and will succeed HMS Talent.
The final Astute-class submarine, HMS Achilles, is set to assume HMS Triumph’s responsibilities later in the decade.
