Royal Navy: HMS Triumph to be decommissioned as the last Trafalgar-class nuclear submarine - when

HMS Triumph, the seventh and last of the Trafalgar-class underwater attack vessels, sailed to her home port for the final time before being cut from the Royal Navy fleet. Commander Aaron Williams, HMS Triumph’s Commanding Officer, said himself and the submarine’s company will look back on her distinguished service.

“As HMS Triumph prepares to decommission, we reflect on her legacy with immense pride,” he added. “This submarine has served not just as a vessel, but as a symbol of commitment, courage and camaraderie. And while this chapter of HMS Triumph’s story ends, her spirit will endure in the memories of all who served aboard her, and in the gratitude of the nations she helped protect. Although HMS Triumph has carried out her missions with quiet strength and dedication behind every mission, deployment, and triumph has been the sacrifice and steadfast support of the families who stood behind us.”

The submarine’s final voyage took her from Clyde Naval Base in Scotland to HMNB Devonport in Plymouth, with submariners bidding the long-serving stalwart a fond farewell after a career spanning nearly 34 years. HMS Triumph flew her decommissioning pennant and was escorted by a array of vessels - a fitting last voyage to look back on a career which saw her carry out missions across the globe.

She was first laid down in Barrow shipyard in February 1987, being commissioned less than five years later in October 1991. HMS Triumph was built alongside six other Trafalgar-class submarines, HMS Talent, Trenchant, Torbay, Tireless, Turbulent and Trafalgar. The vessel was first deployed to Australia in 1993, travelling 41,000 miles submerged without support. At the time the longest solo deployment by a Royal Navy nuclear-powered submarine.

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What happens when ships are decommissioned

She then went on to serve in Afghanistan in 2001, launching Tomahawk missiles at targets. HMS Triumph was later deployed to Libya – again firing her weaponry at positions from the Mediterranean Sea as part of international efforts to protect civilians. The submarine was the tenth Royal Navy vessel to bear the HMS Triumph name, a moniker with a rich heritage. The first HMS Triumph was a 68-gun galleon built in 1561, the largest built in England under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Rear Admiral Andy Perks, Royal Navy Director Submarine, said: “Having spent many years serving in Trafalgar-class SSNs it is with both pride and sadness that I see these excellent submarines reach the end of their career. The last of the Cold War submarines, these vessels have helped keep our country safe for over 30 years. As this era ends though, we can be assured that our Submarine Service remains well served by the Astute -class SSN.”

HMS Triumph will be officially decommissioned in 2025, with the baton being passed to the Astute-class attack submarines. The Royal Navy said the modern class - comprising of HMS Astute, Ambush, Artful, Audacious and Anson - are the “largest, most advanced and most powerful attack submarines ever operated” by the force. Two more submarines are being constructed at the BAE Systems yard in Barrow-in-Furness.