Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:09:16-1:16:20

Designing eight Royal Navy SSGNs in the late 1970s

A hypothetical late-1970s order for eight British SSGNs raises a choice between a Resolution-derived missile carrier and a stretched attack submarine with a smaller magazine.

Conventional DeterrenceCruise MissilesResolution Class Ballistic Missile SubmarinesRoyal NavySSGNSubmarinesSwiftsure Class Nuclear SubmarinesTrafalgar Class Submarines
Watch at this timeFull video guide
Question

If the Royal Navy built eight SSGNs in the late 1970s, what would they look like and how would they fit its doctrine?

Short answer

A Resolution-derived boat or a stretched attack submarine could support continuous conventional deterrence, with different costs, missile capacities and secondary roles.

Notes

Clarke favours an SSGN derived from the Resolution ballistic-missile submarines, while Fleet proposes a stretched attack submarine as a cheaper alternative. The latter would use less hull material and could also serve as an attack boat, although its missile capacity would be lower. British hull forms complicate that approach, particularly the short, full form of the Swiftsure design. A Trafalgar derivative offers another possibility, with a missile compartment aft of the conning tower judged more plausible than one forward. These are alternatives for a hypothetical order for eight additional boats in the late 1970s. Their doctrinal purpose would be continuous conventional deterrence alongside carriers and the strategic ballistic-missile force.