HMS_Vengeance_(S31)
HMS Vengeance (S31)
1999 Vanguard-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine of the Royal Navy
HMS Vengeance is the fourth and final Vanguard-class submarine of the Royal Navy.[1] Vengeance carries the Trident ballistic missile, the UK's nuclear deterrent.[2][3]
Vengeance was built at Barrow-in-Furness by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd, later BAE Systems Submarine Solutions, was launched in September 1998, and commissioned in November 1999.[4]
Before she was commissioned, the British Government stated that once the Vanguard submarines became fully operational, they would only carry 200 warheads.[citation needed]
Vengeance carries unopened "last instructions" (letters of last resort) of the current British prime minister that are to be used in the event of a national catastrophe or a nuclear strike; this letter is identical to the letters carried on board the other three submarines of the Vanguard class.[5]