Trafalgar-class Nuclear Attack Submarine

The Trafalgar-class is a class of eight nuclear-powered fleet submarines in service with the Royal Navy. They are a direct follow on from the Swiftsure-class and were, until the introduction of the Astute-class, the Royal Navy's most advanced nuclear fleet submarines. With six boats in commission and two retired, they form the core of the Royal Navy's nuclear powered ‘hunter-killer’ submarine force. HMS Torbay, Trenchant, Talent, Triumph, and Thunderder have been fitted with the Sonar 2076 system, which the Royal Navy describes as the most advanced sonar in service with any navy in the world.

In the late 1980s through mid 1990s, the Canadian government developed a stretched variant of the Trafalgar-class named the Lake Superior-class.

Submarines from the class have seen service in a wide range of locations, and have fired missiles at targets in Afghanistan, India, and Libya.

Specifications

 * Type: Nuclear Attack Submarine
 * Builders: Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering, Barrow-in-Furness
 * Service Period: 1983-Present
 * Characteristics
 * Length: 280 feet (85.35 meters)
 * Beam: 32 feet (9.76 meters)
 * Draught: 31 feet (9.45 meters)
 * Displacement: 4,800 tons (Surfaced); 5,300 tons (Submerged)
 * Crew: 130
 * Power: 15,000 shp
 * Range: Unlimited
 * Speed: 32 Knots
 * Propulsion
 * 1 x Rolls Royce PWR.1 Reactor
 * 2 x Western Electric steam turbines
 * 2 x WH Allen turbo generators; 3.2 MW
 * 2 x Paxman diesel alternators 2,800 shp (2.1 MW)
 * 1 x pump jet propulsion
 * 1 x motor for emergency drive
 * 1 x auxiliary retractable prop
 * Sensor Suite
 * Ferranti/Gresham Dowty DCB/DCG or BAE Systems SMCS data system
 * Type 2072 hull-mounted flank array passive sonar
 * Plessey Type 2020 or Marconi/Plessey Type 2074 hull-mounted active and passive search and attack sonar
 * Ferranti Type 2046 or Thales Underwater Systems 2076 towed array passive search sonar
 * Thomson Sintra Type 2019 PARIS or Thorn EMI 2082 passive intercept and ranging sonar
 * Marconi Type 2077 short range active classification sonar
 * Kelvin Hughes Type 1007 I band navigation radar
 * Pilkington Optronics CK34 search periscope
 * Pilkington Optronics CH84/CM010 attack periscope
 * Armament
 * 6 x 533mm torpedo tubes

Unit Run

 * HMS Trafalgar (S87)
 * HMS Turbulent (S88)
 * HMS Tireless (S89)
 * HMS Torbay (S90)
 * HMS Trenchant (S91)
 * HMS Talent (S92)
 * HMS Triumph (S93)
 * HMS Thunderer (S94)

Related Development

 * Lake Superior-class

Comparable Submarines

 * Akula-class
 * Los Angeles-class
 * Rubis-class