Last Royal Navy Trafalgar submarine returns home to Devonport before 2025 decommission

The last of the Trafalgar-class attack submarines has returned home to Plymouth for the final time before being decommissioned. The seventh boat of the class, HMS Triumph sailed back to Devonport Naval Base after her final voyage from Scotland, where submariners waved farewell to the vessel after a career of nearly 34 years.

Triumph flew her decommissioning pennant and was escorted by numerous other vessels as she entered Plymouth Sound, marking the end of her long years on front-line operations which took her around the planet. She is the last of the Trafalgar-class to be built after her six sisters HMS Talent, Trenchant, Torbay, Tireless, Turbulent and Trafalgar.

Commander Aaron Williams, HMS Triumph’s Commanding Officer, said: “As HMS Triumph prepares to decommission, we reflect on her legacy with immense pride. This submarine has served not just as a vessel, but as a symbol of commitment, courage and camaraderie.

“And while this chapter of HMS Triumph’s story ends, her spirit will endure in the memories of all who served aboard her, and in the gratitude of the nations she helped protect. Although HMS Triumph has carried out her missions with quiet strength and dedication behind every mission, deployment, and triumph has been the sacrifice and steadfast support of the families who stood behind us.”

Triumph was laid down in Barrow shipyard in February 1987 and commissioned less than five years later in October 1991. The boat deployed to Australia in 1993, travelling 41,000 miles submerged without support in the longest solo deployment by a Royal Navy nuclear-powered submarine at the time.

She launched Tomahawk missiles at targets in Afghanistan in 2001 and was later deployed to Libya, again firing her weaponry at positions from the Mediterranean Sea as part of international efforts to protect civilians. On both occasions, Triumph flew the Jolly Roger flag from her fin as she returned to Plymouth – a Submarine Service tradition which celebrates the completion of a successful combat mission.

The submarine was the tenth Royal Navy vessel to bear the HMS Triumph name, a moniker with a rich heritage – the first was a 680-gun galleon built in 1561 and was the largest built in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

“Having spent many years serving in Trafalgar-class SSNs it is with both pride and sadness that I see these excellent submarines reach the end of their career,” said Royal Navy Director Submarine, Rear Admiral Andy Perks.

“The last of the Cold War submarines, these vessels have helped keep our country safe for over 30 years. As this era ends though, we can be assured that our Submarine Service remains well served by the Astute -class SSN.”

Triumph will be decommissioned in a ceremony early in 2025 as the baton passing to the Astute-class attack submarines is completed. The largest, most advanced and most powerful attack submarines ever operated by the Royal Navy, the Astute fleet will eventually consist of seven vessels.

HMS Astute, Ambush, Artful, Audacious and Anson are all currently in service and operating from HM Naval Base Clyde. A further two boats are under construction at BAE Systems in Barrow-in-Furness.