Nuclear submarines: First Devonport vessel for dismantling named

Decommissioned nuclear submarines are stored at Devonport Dockyard

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has named the first nuclear submarine to be dismantled at a naval base in Devon.

The MoD said HMS Valiant would be the first to be taken apart at Devonport Dockyard in Plymouth.

There are 12 other laid-up submarines waiting to be dismantled at the naval base, along with HMS Valiant which was decommissioned in 1994.

No date had yet been set for the dismantling process to start, said the MoD.

The start date would depend on results of a trial dismantling of a submarine at Rosyth Dockyard in Scotland, it said.

HMS Valiant has been at Devonport since being decommissioned in 1994

Defence minister Jeremy Quin told Plymouth Sutton and Devonport Labour MP Luke Pollard in the House of Commons: "A demonstrator submarine is being used to define and refine the dismantling process now taking place at Rosyth Dockyard.

"As that programme of work progresses, the outcomes will provide more certainty on the dates when dismantling of the Devonport-based submarines will start."

Mr Pollard tweeted: "It's time Britain had a proper programme to recycle old nuclear submarines.

"I'm continuing to press the MoD about the old subs tied up in Devonport."

The government had spent an estimated £500m storing seven retired vessels in Rosyth and 13 in Devonport since 1980, according to the National Audit Office (NAO) in 2019.

The estimated cost of fully disposing of a submarine was £96m, the NAO said.

The MoD's future liability for maintaining and disposing of the 20 decommissioned submarines, along with 10 in-service submarines was estimated at £7.5bn.