HMS Repulse (S23)
Encyclopedia
HMS Repulse (S23) was a Resolution-class
ballistic missile
submarine
of the Royal Navy
.
Launched on 4 November 1967, she was the last of her class remaining in service with the navy, decommissioning in 1996.
Repulse was the third Polaris Missile submarine of the Resolution class to be planned; was the second. Due to delays with Renowns build at Cammell Laird
's Birkenhead
shipyard, the Barrow-in-Furness
Vickers
built Repulse overtook Renown and was commissioned second of class. Repulse famously ran aground on launch, much to the delight of the CND protesters and was subsequently "blacked" by the shipyard unions. She survived all of these setbacks to become the longest-serving Polaris submarine.
A group called the "Committee of 100" were responsible for Repulse running aground. A group of about twelve protesters wedged themselves into the lock gates prior to launch. This action delayed the launch by some thirty minutes and caused the submarine to ground herself on the mudflats as there was insufficient clearance water in the sound. This fact was never reported by any national newspaper although early editions of a local Barrow paper did carry the story and even a photograph of the grounded submarine. Later editions of the same newspaper mysteriously made no mention of the event.
Resolution class submarine
The Resolution-class submarine armed with the Polaris missile was the United Kingdom's primary nuclear deterrent from the late 1960s to 1994, when they were replaced by the Vanguard-class submarine carrying the Trident II.-Background:...
ballistic missile
Ballistic missile
A ballistic missile is a missile that follows a sub-orbital ballistic flightpath with the objective of delivering one or more warheads to a predetermined target. The missile is only guided during the relatively brief initial powered phase of flight and its course is subsequently governed by the...
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
.
Launched on 4 November 1967, she was the last of her class remaining in service with the navy, decommissioning in 1996.
Repulse was the third Polaris Missile submarine of the Resolution class to be planned; was the second. Due to delays with Renowns build at Cammell Laird
Cammell Laird
Cammell Laird, one of the most famous names in British shipbuilding during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, came about following the merger of Laird, Son & Co. of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co. of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century.- Founding of the business :The Company...
's Birkenhead
Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
shipyard, the Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...
Vickers
Vickers
Vickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 1999.-Early history:Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor &...
built Repulse overtook Renown and was commissioned second of class. Repulse famously ran aground on launch, much to the delight of the CND protesters and was subsequently "blacked" by the shipyard unions. She survived all of these setbacks to become the longest-serving Polaris submarine.
A group called the "Committee of 100" were responsible for Repulse running aground. A group of about twelve protesters wedged themselves into the lock gates prior to launch. This action delayed the launch by some thirty minutes and caused the submarine to ground herself on the mudflats as there was insufficient clearance water in the sound. This fact was never reported by any national newspaper although early editions of a local Barrow paper did carry the story and even a photograph of the grounded submarine. Later editions of the same newspaper mysteriously made no mention of the event.