List of submarines of the Royal Navy

This is a list of Royal Navy submarines, arranged chronologically. Submarines that are currently active and commissioned are shown below in bold.

Pre-First World War

HMS Holland 1, the first submarine to serve in the Royal Navy
A-class submarines, the first British-designed class
  • Holland class
    • Holland 1, launched: 2 October 1901, decommissioned: 5 November 1913
    • Holland 2
    • Holland 3
    • Holland 4
    • Holland 5
  • A class
    • A1, launched: 9 July 1902
    • A2
    • A3
    • A4
    • A5
    • A6
    • A7
    • A8
    • A9
    • A10
    • A11
    • A12
    • A13
  • B class
    • 11 boats, 1904–1906
  • C class
    • 38 boats, 1906–1910

First World War

HMS G9 at Scapa Flow in 1917
HMS M2 with her sea plane
HMS Thorn
  • D class
  • E class
  • F class
  • S class
  • V class
  • W class
  • G class
  • H class
  • Nautilus class
  • Swordfish class
  • J class
  • K class
    • HMS K1
    • HMS K2
    • HMS K3
    • HMS K4
    • HMS K5
    • HMS K6
    • HMS K7
    • HMS K8
    • HMS K9
    • HMS K10
    • HMS K11
    • HMS K12
    • HMS K13
    • HMS K14
    • HMS K15
    • HMS K16
    • HMS K17
    • HMS K26
  • L class
  • M class
    • HMS M1
    • HMS M2
    • HMS M3
    • HMS M4
  • R class

Interwar years

  • HMS X1
  • Odin class
  • Parthian class
    • HMS Pandora (N42)
    • HMS Parthian (N75)
    • HMS Perseus (N36)
    • HMS Phoenix (N96)
    • HMS Poseidon (P99)
    • HMS Proteus (N29)
  • Rainbow class
  • S (Swordfish) class
  • River or Thames class
    • HMS Thames (N71)
    • HMS Severn (N57)
    • HMS Clyde (N12)
  • Grampus class
  • T (Triton) class
  • U (Undine) class

Second World War

HMS Alliance at Gosport (where she is now part of the submarine museum) in 1987
HMS Voracious in 1945
  • S (safari) class (War Emergency Programme)
  • T (Tempest) class (War Emergency Programme)
  • U (Umpire) class (War Emergency Programme)
  • P611 class
    • HMS P611
    • HMS P612
    • HMS P614
    • HMS P615
  • United States R-class submarine
    • HMS P511
    • HMS P512
    • HMS P514
  • U (Uproar) class
  • V (Vampire) class

Cold War

To mid-1950s

  • Amphion class
    • Amphion (P439/S39/S43) (laid down as Anchorite but name changed before launch)
    • Astute (P447/S47/S45)
    • Auriga (P419/S19/S69)
    • Aurochs (P426/S26/S62)
    • Alcide (P415/S15/S65)
    • Alderney (P416/S16/S66)
    • Alliance (P417/S17/S67)
    • Ambush (P418/S18/S68)
    • Anchorite (P422/S22/S64)
    • Andrew (P423/S23/S63)
    • Affray (P421)
    • Aeneas (P427/S27/S72/SSG72)
    • Alaric (P441/S41)
    • Artemis (P449/S39/S49)
    • Artful (P456/S56/S96)
    • Acheron (P411/S11/S61)
    • Ace (P414)
    • Achates (P433)
  • Explorer class
    • HMS Explorer
    • HMS Excalibur
  • Stickleback class (midget submarines)
    • X51 Stickleback
    • X52 Shrimp
    • X53 Sprat
    • X54 Minnow
  • Foreign Built
    • Graph (P715) – German Type VII U-boat
    • Meteorite – German Type XVII U-boat
    • N2 – German Type VII-C/41 U-boat
    • X2 – Italian, Archimede-class submarine

Late 1950s to late 1980s

From HMS Porpoise Royal Navy submarines were given their own "S" pennant numbers.

A Valiant-class nuclear submarine. Whilst HMS Dreadnought had an American reactor, these were fully British-built
HMS Tireless at the North Pole
  • Porpoise class (Diesel-electric hunter-killer)
    • Porpoise, commissioned/decommissioned: 1958–1982
    • Narwhal, c/d: 1959–1977
    • Finwhale, c/d: 1960–1987 (harbour service from 1979)
    • Cachalot, c/d: 1959–1979
    • Sealion, c/d: 1961–1987
    • Walrus, c/d: 1961–1986
    • Grampus, c/d: 1958–1978
    • Rorqual, c/d: 1958–1976
  • Oberon class (Diesel-electric hunter-killer)
    • Oberon, commissioned/decommissioned: 1961–1986
    • Onslaught, c/d: 1962–1990
    • Orpheus, c/d: 1960–1990 (harbour service from 1987)
    • Odin, c/d: 1962–1990
    • Otter, c/d: 1962–1991
    • Olympus, c/d: 1961–1989
    • Oracle, c/d: 1963–1993
    • Ocelot, c/d: 1964–1991
    • Otus, c/d: 1963–1991
    • Opossum, c/d: 1964–1993
    • Opportune, c/d: 1964–1993
    • Osiris, c/d: 1964–1989
    • Onyx, c/d: 1967–1991
  • Dreadnought (Nuclear-powered hunter-killer), commissioned/decommissioned: 1963–1980
  • Valiant class (PWR1 nuclear-powered hunter-killer)
    • Valiant, commissioned/decommissioned: 1966–1994
    • Warspite, c/d: 1967–1991
  • Resolution class (PWR1 nuclear-powered ballistic missile)
    • Resolution, commissioned/decommissioned: 1967–1994
    • Repulse, c/d: 1967–1996
    • Renown, c/d: 1967–1996
    • Revenge, c/d: 1969–1992
  • Churchill class (PWR1 nuclear-powered hunter-killer)
    • Churchill, commissioned/decommissioned: 1970–1991
    • Conqueror, c/d: 1971–1990
    • Courageous, c/d: 1971–1992
  • Swiftsure class (PWR1 nuclear-powered hunter-killer)
    • Swiftsure, commissioned/decommissioned: 1973–1992
    • Sovereign, c/d: 1974–2006
    • Superb, c/d: 1976–2008
    • Sceptre, c/d: 1978–2010
    • Spartan, c/d: 1979–2006
    • Splendid, c/d: 1981–2004
  • Trafalgar class (PWR1 nuclear-powered hunter-killer)
    • Trafalgar, commissioned/decommissioned: 1983–2009
    • Turbulent, c/d: 1984–2012
    • Tireless, c/d: 1985–2014
    • Torbay, c/d: 1987–2017
    • Trenchant, c/d: 1989-2022
    • Talent, c/d: 1990-2022
    • Triumph, commissioned: 1991

1990s to present

  • Upholder class (Diesel-electric hunter-killer) Transferred to Canada as the Victoria-class submarine
    • Upholder, commissioned/decommissioned: 1990–1994
    • Unseen, c/d: 1991–1994
    • Ursula, c/d: 1992–1994
    • Unicorn, c/d: 1993–1994
HMS Astute being launched
  • Vanguard class (PWR2 nuclear-powered ballistic missile)
    • Vanguard, commissioned: 1993
    • Victorious, commissioned: 1995
    • Vigilant, commissioned: 1996
    • Vengeance, commissioned: 1999
  • Astute class (PWR2 nuclear-powered hunter-killer)
    • Astute, commissioned: 2010
    • Ambush, commissioned: 2013
    • Artful, commissioned: 2016
    • Audacious, commissioned: 2020
    • Anson, commissioned: 2022
    • Agamemnon, construction began: 2013/Expected commission: 2024
    • Agincourt, confirmed, steel cut/Expected commission: 2026
  • Dreadnought class (PWR3 nuclear-powered ballistic missile)[1]
    • Dreadnought, under construction - first elements of construction underway in 2016[2]
    • Valiant, under construction
    • Warspite, under construction
    • King George VI, ordered

See also

References

  1. ^ "New Successor Submarines Named" (Press release). Gov.uk. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  2. ^ "New nuclear submarine given famous naval name". BBC News. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.