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HMS Talent (S92)

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HMS Talent (S92) with Lynx in the Mediterranean Sea 2013
Talent in the Mediterranean Sea, October 2013.
History
United Kingdom
NameHMS Talent
Ordered10 September 1984
BuilderVickers Shipbuilding and Engineering, Barrow-in-Furness
Laid down13 May 1986
Launched15 April 1988
Sponsored byThe Princess Royal
Commissioned12 May 1990
Decommissioned20 May 2022
HomeportHMNB Clyde, Faslane
IdentificationS92
StatusDecommissioned
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeTrafalgar-class submarine
Displacement
  • Surfaced: 4,500 to 4,800 t (4,700 long tons; 5,300 short tons)[1]
  • Submerged: 5,200 to 5,300 t (5,200 long tons; 5,800 short tons)[1]
Length85.4 m (280 ft 2 in)[1]
Beam9.8 m (32 ft 2 in)[1]
Draught9.5 m (31 ft 2 in)[1]
Propulsion
SpeedOver 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph), submerged[1]
RangeUnlimited[1]
Complement130[1]
Sensors and
processing systems
Sonar 2076
Electronic warfare
& decoys
  • 2 × SSE Mk8 launchers for Type 2066 and Type 2071 torpedo decoys
  • RESM Racal UAP passive intercept
  • CESM Outfit CXA
  • SAWCS decoys carried from 2002
Armament
  • 5 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes with stowage for up to 30 weapons:

HMS Talent is the sixth of seven Trafalgar-class nuclear submarines operated by the Royal Navy from 1990 until 2022. It was built at Barrow-in-Furness.

Name

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Talent is the third submarine of the Royal Navy to bear the name. The first was a T-class submarine that was transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy as HNLMS Zwaardvisch before launching in 1943. The second, was also a T-class submarine, launched in 1945 and operated by the Royal Navy until 1966.

Operational history

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Talent was launched by The Princess Royal in April 1988, and commissioned in May 1990.

Talent entered HMNB Devonport, its homeport, for a refit, rejoining the active fleet in March 2007 following a £386 million upgrade. This included a new reactor core, and updated sonar suite: Sonar 2076.

In 2009, Talent suffered loss of primary and alternative power supplies to its nuclear reactors while in dock.[3]

On 6 August 2013, Talent returned to Plymouth after a 3-month deployment.[4] In October 2013, the submarine conducted an anti-submarine exercise with HMS Dragon, USS Gravely, USS Stout and USS Barry.[5]

In April 2015, it was reported that Talent had struck ice at some point in 2014 while tracking Russian vessels.[6]

Talent moved from Devonport to HMNB Clyde in July 2019.[7]

Although originally scheduled for decommissioning in 2021, the slow delivery of the Astute-class boats meant that Talent was retained in service for at least an additional 12 months, with a planned out of service date extended to the end of 2022.[8]

Under the terms of the 2021 Integrated Review, Talent was scheduled to be decommissioned by the end of 2022, to be replaced by HMS Anson, the fifth Astute-class submarine.[8] In April 2022, it was reported that Talent was being prepared for disposal and the submarine was decommissioned in a joint ceremony with Trenchant on 20 May 2022, in the presence of the Princess Royal.[9][10][11]

Affiliations

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The boat was affiliated with the town of Shrewsbury in Shropshire, and while commissioned, its crew enjoyed Freedom of the Town.[12]

The submarine's sponsor was the Princess Royal, who presided over its launch in 1988 and its decommissioning ceremony in 2022.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Bush, Steve (2014). British Warships and Auxiliaries. Maritime Books. p. 12. ISBN 978-1904459552.
  2. ^ "US study of reactor and fuel types to enable naval reactors to shift from HEU fuel". International Panel on Fissile Missiles. 10 April 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  3. ^ Masters, Sam. "Major nuclear incident at Britain's Royal Navy submarine base averted". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  4. ^ HMS Talent returns, royalnavy.mod.uk
  5. ^ HMS Talent Archived 3 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine, navynews.co.uk
  6. ^ LaGrone, Sam (20 July 2016). "HMS Ambush Collides With Merchant Vessel". USNI News. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  7. ^ Channon, Max (31 July 2019). "Sub leaves for last time before she joins nuclear graveyard". plymouthherald. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  8. ^ a b "The Defence Command Paper and the future of the Royal Navy". Navy Lookout. 22 March 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  9. ^ "HMS Talent retired. Royal Navy down to just 5 attack submarines | Navy Lookout". 20 April 2022.
  10. ^ "Talent and Trenchant decommission as new submarine fleet sails forward". Royal Navy. 20 May 2022.
  11. ^ Farewell to fleet members Ships Monthly July 2022 page 15
  12. ^ Humprhries, Hilary (27 October 2022). "HMS Talent Returns Freedom Rights to Shrewsbury". Shrewsbury Town Council. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
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