The Royal Navy's travel and endurance requirements are the basis of the preference for nuclear submarines here. Operations in the High North and around the Falklands can require rapid movement over long distances. Nuclear propulsion offers more transit time submerged and more time on station after arrival. A diesel-electric boat on batteries can be quieter in the comparison, but that advantage is given less weight for these tasks.
Notable Point · 1:30:27-1:31:17
UK geography favors nuclear submarines over SSKs
Long transits to the High North and Falklands make submerged speed and time on station more valuable to Britain than the quietest possible battery patrol.