HMS Resolution (S22)

History of HMS Resolutions (S22)

With the advancement of ballistic missile technology, the arrival of "ballistic missile submarines". These attack platforms, often nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed, now allow submarines to attack land-based targets from the safety of the sea.

For the United States and Britain, locked in a protracted "Cold War" with the mighty Soviet Union, the answer came from the Lockheed UGM-27 Polaris, a two-stage, solid-propulsion, nuclear-tipped ballistic missile. The weapon entered service in 1961 and lived a healthy life until the mid-1990s, when it was used by some ships in the US Navy and Royal Navy submarine service.

The Royal Navy's first ballistic missile target craft was the Resolution class, led by the HMS Resolution (S22). The solution was achieved through an order in May 1963, with Vickers Shipbuilding Ltd, Barrow-in-Furness, selected to build the powerful vessel. She was launched on February 26, 1964, and on September 15, 1966.

She officially entered service on October 2, 1967.

The series was gradually updated with several variants (A-1, A-2 and A-3). The A-3 uses a cluster warhead with a range of up to 2,500 nautical miles. In 1982, the British upgraded their inventory to "Chevaline" warheads (formerly known as "Super Oryx"), replacing the older WE177 warheads.

Chevaline provides built-in countermeasures for target/target area survivability and was introduced in Resolution back in 1984.

With the class entering service in 1968, the V-bomber fleet was retired in 1969. By the end of the year, all four ships in the four-man (or five originally planned) Resolution class are in active service as part of the Royal Navy - equipped with nuclear payloads. The sister ships are HMS Repulse, HMS Renown and HMS Revenge (HMS Ramillies ceased production in 1965).

As a Royal Navy best practice, at least one ship should be in service for a period of time, so planning for downtime is critical to maintaining a deterrent to Soviet war.

In 1986-1987 HSM decided to moor at Rosyth to carry out work to reduce her noise signature, which at the time was becoming a growing problem for a vessel that required camouflage to function. In 1991, she conducted her longest patrol aboard the Polaris missile, staying at sea for 108 days. With the arrival of the Vanguard class submarine prowess (detailed elsewhere on this page) and their increased carrying capacity for Trident missiles, the days of the Resolution and its sister ships are marked.

HMS Resolution retired on October 22, 1994, completing a total of sixty-nine patrols while on duty in the West.

As of 2018, HMS Resolution was found to have an empty nuclear reactor at the naval base in Rosyth, and plans for its dismantling and eventual decommissioning remain to be completed.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Armor

Wing