Active morning in Plymouth Sound

By The Captain, maritime correspondent for The Beagle

Users of the Torpoint Ferry this morning will have been aware that there was a ‘submarine movement’. These ‘movements’ are driven by the tide – which was high at 0753 this morning.

Ideally, you plan to move a vessel with a deep draught (like a nuclear submarine (SSN) – an Astute class draws 10m (32’ 10”)) an hour or so before high water – which allows you a bit of time for ‘slippage’ and, heaven forbid that you should run aground, it’s much better to do so on a rising tide!

This morning’s move was (so the ship-spotters say) HMS Active herself.

Undoubtedly the same SSN that came in a week ago (for minor repairs according to the shore-side gossips). All SSN movements are accompanied by a minor flotilla – in Active’s case, there was a MoD boat ahead and astern, a MoD RIB to port and to starboard, 2 tugs attached and a third tug standing by.

The real HMS Vanguard recently returned to her base in Faslane, near Glasgow, after a record-breaking 204-day submerged patrol. One of the SSN’s prime roles is to ‘delouse’ our SSBN’s when starting and whilst on patrol. (‘Delousing’ is the process of making sure that there are no Russian submarines shadowing our SSBNs.)

Also in The Sound this morning, the German frigate Sachsen-Anhalt (of which I shall write more shortly.)