Operational History
The Trident II D-5 achieved an initial operational capability with the U.S. Navy in March 1990. Following launch and commissioning the vessels deployed on Demonstration and Shakedown Operations (DASOs) which included test firing of Trident missiles at the United States' SLBM Launch Area, Eastern Test Range, Cape Canaveral, off the coast of Florida (see table below).
| Name | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Test launch 1 | Test launch 2 | Maiden patrol | Long Overhaul Refit Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMS Vanguard (S28) | 3 September 1986 | 4 March 1992 | 14 August 1993 | 26 May 1994 | 20 June 1994 | December 1994 | February 2002 – June 2004 |
| HMS Victorious (S29) | 3 December 1987 | 29 September 1993 | January, 7 1995 | 24 July 1995 | 22 August 1995 | December 1995 | June 2004 – 2006 |
| HMS Vigilant (S30) | 16 February 1991 | 14 October 1995 | 2 November 1996 | 10 October 1997 | 10 October 1997 | June 1998 | May 2009 - March 2012 |
| HMS Vengeance (S31) | 1 February 1993 | 19 September 1998 | November, 27 1999 | 21 September 2000 | February 2001 | March 2012 - 2014 |
In February 2002, Vanguard began a two-year refit at HMNB Devonport. The refit was completed in June 2004 and in October 2005 Vanguard completed her return to service trials (Demonstration and Shakedown Operations) with the firing of an unarmed Trident missile. During this refit, Vanguard was illegally boarded by a pair of anti-nuclear protestors. Mid-life refits for Victorious and Vigilant followed, with Vengeance currently undergoing this process.
Victorious was involved in a minor collision with a United States Coast Guard ship in July 2001. The Coast Guard ship became tangled in the fibre optic cables of the submarine's sonar system which disabled its turbines. Victorious was not damaged in the incident.
In 2002, protesters from Trident Ploughshares breached security at Faslane Naval Base where the Vanguard submarines are based. Two protesters managed to spraypaint Vigilant with the CND symbol and the word "Vile".
On 4 February 2009, Vanguard collided with the French submarine Triomphant in the Atlantic. She returned to Faslane in Scotland, under her own power arriving on 14 February 2009.
On 31 March 2011, Vengeance returned to Faslane naval base on the surface after developing mechanical problems while on a training exercise. According to the MOD the problems were not nuclear related.
Read more about this topic: Vanguard Class Submarine
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“Tell me of the height of the mountains of the moon, or of the diameter of space, and I may believe you, but of the secret history of the Almighty, and I shall pronounce thee mad.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)