After 204 days, a Royal Navy nuclear-powered submarine broke the record for how long a crew was out on the open ocean.

The UK’s Royal Navy operates just four Vanguard-class nuclear-powered submarines, each crucial to the nation’s nuclear deterrence. The submarines, which have unlimited endurance and range, are deployed for extended periods, and the crews spend months at sea and literally under it, completely cut off from the outside world.

One of those four submarines returned home to His Majesty’s Naval Base (NMNB) Clyde in Faslane, Scotland, after 204 days, breaking the previous record of 201 days at sea set last March. The boat departed the base in late August and was expected back sooner. 

Still, it was delayed due to a longer-than-expected maintenance period for the submarine now headed out on her deployment.

The Vanguard-class submarine on patrol likely won’t return until early fall.

“The last eight deterrent patrols have all exceeded five months in duration,” Navy Lookout reported, adding, “On paper, this is more efficient as it reduces the time spent in handovers and there are longer periods to conduct post-patrol maintenance, recover and prepare for the next.”

Setting the Record: A Strain on the Boats and Crew

The more extended deployments strain the boats and crew, the more concerns there are. The UK’s Spectator news outlet noted that the submarine “looked grey, barnacled and rusty compared to her sleek, black replacement, which had swept down the Clyde [River] four days earlier.”

The crew may have been as disheveled. Even the three-month-long patrols that were once standard were considered tough on the crews. 

As previously reported, sailors were forced to share rations during the past record-long deployment. That situation became so dire that “medics reportedly handed out caffeine tablets amid fears tiredness could lead to a critical mistake and serious loss of life at sea,” The Sun tabloid reported.

Despite having unlimited range and endurance, the boats only have “food stores and freezers to support a maximum of three to four months at sea,” Navy Lookout added.

The report also noted that “there is speculation that the boats may be discreetly surfaced and resupplied at sea mid-patrol,” which “would be in contravention of the overriding command aim, to avoid detection at all costs.”

Beyond limited food options, the sailors serving on the submarines are essentially cut off from the world and can only receive a single forty-word message, known as a “family-gram”weekly from loved ones back home. 

Record-Setting Patrols Are Getting Longer

As noted, the Royal Navy operates just four boats, each carrying Trident II D5 missiles. Introduced in 1994, the subs are the largest built in the UK and the third-largest vessels in the Royal Navy. Their only mission is to fire a vast number of nuclear weapons at any targets, if ever called upon to do so.

The submarines, which include HMS Vanguard, HMS Victorious, HMS Vigilant, and HMS Vengeance were constructed between 1986 and 1999 at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, by the former Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering, now BAE Systems Marine. All four are based at HMNB Clyde in Faslane, west of Glasgow, Scotland.

The UK has maintained a “continuous at-sea deterrent (CASD) strategy” since the 1960s. According to the British Ministry of Defense (MoD), this strategy calls for “at least one nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine patrolling the seas undetected at all times.”

The four Vanguard-class boats will remain in operation until the new Dreadnought class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines enters service in the early 2030s.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

Image: Shutterstock/ Aleksandr Merkushev.

The post Royal Navy Submarine Returns Home After Record-Breaking Deployment appeared first on The National Interest.