HMS Turbulent, the Royal Navy’s second oldest Trafalgar class submarine, has been retired at Devonport after more than 29 years of service. Built to counter the Soviet submarine threat under the ice of the north Atlantic during the Cold War, she was decommissioned on 14 July following a last outing in December 2011 at the conclusion of a 284-day deployment, much of which was spent submerged.
Once made safe, she will eventually be stored afloat inside 3 Basin at Plymouth, alongside Trafalgar, pending a government decision on a disposal strategy for the navy’s deactivated nuclear-powered submarines.Five Tomahawk-equipped T-boats are left in service with HMS Tireless next to go in 2013. The youngest, HMS Triumph, is expected to remain active until 2022. They are being superseded by seven Astute class, the second of which, Ambush, is currently preparing to leave Barrow for sea trials.
