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| History | |
|---|---|
 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.
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.
Operations
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.
In 2007, Superb successfully completed training manoeuvres off the Scottish coast, engaging with HMS Daring, a brand new Type 45 destroyer.
On 26 May 2008, the Superb hit an underwater pinnacle in the Red Sea, 80 miles south of the Suez Canal. None of the 112 crew were injured and only her sonar equipment was damaged, forcing her to resurface. She remained watertight though was unable to submerge due to the damage to her sonar. She remains floating in international waters until the Royal Navy decide on the course of action to get her repaired in port..
Crest and Affiliations
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 is affiliated with The Royal Dragoon Guards.
References
- http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.9979
- "UK submarine hits Red Sea rocks". BBC. 2008-05-27. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
External links
| Swiftsure-class submarines | |
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