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| History | |
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 UK | |
| Name | HMS Superb |
| Operator | Royal Navy |
| Ordered | 20 May 1970 |
| Builder | Vickers |
| Laid down | 16 March 1972 |
| Launched | 30 November 1974 |
| Commissioned | 13 November 1976 |
| Motto | With Strength and Courage |
| Nickname(s) | Super B |
| Status | Template:Ship fate box active in service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Swiftsure-class submarine |
| Displacement | 4,900 tonnes (dived) |
| Length | 82.9 metres |
| Beam | 9.8 metres |
| Draught | 8.5 metres |
| Propulsion | One Rolls-Royce pressurised water nuclear reactor (PWR1) |
| Speed | In excess of 20 knots (37 km/h), dived |
| Complement | 116 officers and men |
| Armament | list error: <br /> list (help) 5 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes Spearfish torpedoes RN Sub Harpoon missiles |
HMS Superb (S109) is a nuclear powered fleet submarine of the Swiftsure class serving in the Royal Navy. HMS Superb was launched on February 17, 1973 at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. The boat was built by Vickers Shipbuilding Groups, now a division of BAE Systems.
Since being commissioned into the Royal Navy on July 11, 1974, Superb has been involved in many operations through out the world. She was the first British submarine to visit the Arctic Ocean and sail under the polar ice caps.
During the Falklands War, Superb was spotted sailing from Gibraltar, which promoted press speculation that she was sailing to the South Atlantic to enforce a maritime exclusion zone. In fact, only HMS Spartan was sailing south at that time. However the British encouraged this speculation to put pressure on the Argentine Navy.
In support of the war against terror in 2001, HMS Superb operated in the Indian Ocean.
Superb's official crest depicts a heraldic lion with an anchor superimposed. This was the family crest of Sir Richard Keats who commanded a previous vessel of the name during the Napoleonic wars. However, throughout the Navy she is known as Super B, and there is an unofficial crest depicting a superhero bumblebee.
Superb's current CO is Cdr Steve Drysdale RN, who assumed command of the boat in December 2006. Cdr Drysdale formerly served as Executive Officer aboard HMS Vigilant (Port) and briefly as commander of both HMS Spartan and HMS Sovereign prior to their disposal.
In 2007, Superb successfully completed training maneuvers off the Scottish coast, engaging with HMS Daring, a brand new Type 45 destroyer.
In May 2008, HMS Superb crashed into rocks in the Red Sea. None of the 112 crew were injured and only her sonar equipment was damaged, forcing her to resurface. She is currently stranded in International Waters.
Affiliations
External links
| Swiftsure-class submarines | |
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