The first of class, SSBN05, was ordered on April 30th 1986 and her keel laid at Barrow by the then Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Margaret Thatcher MP on the same day that she officially opened the Devonshire Dock Hall (DDH). The submarine was rolled out of the DDH on March 4th 1992 in the presence of the Secretary of State for Defence, Tom King, and lowered by shiplift into the docks. On April 30th, HRH Princess Diana, the Princess of Wales, named the submarine Vanguard. This major. new submarine was subjected to the most comprehensive and demanding set of Contractors Sea Trials from October to December 1992 which were, in the words of her Captain " a most rewarding and enjoyable experience". Princess Diana returned to Barrow on August 14th 1993 to attend the commissioning ceremony.
