100 YEARS OF BARROW-BUILT RN SUBMARINES, 1901-2001
UPHOLDER CLASS, 1986 on
THE LAST CONVENTIONAL RN BOATS
UPHOLDER CLASS TYPE 2400 PATROL SUBMARINES - 1986 ONWARDS
The Type 2400 conventional diesel/electric ocean-going patrol submarines were conceived as the successors to the Oberon Class Patrol submarines and initial estimates were drawn up for 10 replacement boats which would remain in service with the Royal Navy well into the 21st century.
The Type 2400 was an all-new design revealed in 1979 that benefitted considerably from the research and development programme carried out for the Royal Navy's nuclear-powered fleet submarines. The hull form in particular incorporated many features derived from the extensive hydrodynamic testing undertaken in connection with the latest generation SSNs. From the outset, the objective was to achieve a product which would surpass the performance of the classic Oberon patrol submarines in every respect. It would feature a greater degree of automation resulting in a much reduced crew and, as if that was not enough, every effort was to be made to ensure that it became the quietest conventional submarine in the world.
The first boat, initially known as SSK01 was ordered in November 1983 from British Shipbuilders' Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering shipyard at Barrow. It was planned to give SSK01-04 a first generation combat system and to fit boats SSK05-10 with a more sophisticated second generation combat system with new sonar suite, active search and mine detection sets all under development and scheduled to become available later in the decade. At that time, the Cold War was still affecting the country's relationship with the USSR and these boats were to be deployed to patrol the Greenland chokepoint where Russian submarines made their way to the Atlantic.
First of Class - Upholder
The first of class Type 2400, SSK01 was laid down in 1983 and named and launched by Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent on December 2nd 1986. Bestowed with the name Upholder after the most famous and successful WWII submarine which had also been built at Barrow in 1939-40, much was expected of this new patrol submarine which bore such a distinguished name.
Her Commanding Officer, appointed in November 1987, was Lt. Cdr G A R McCready, a recent MBE recipient who had previously served on a cruiser, a minesweeper, four conventional submarines and the first of class nuclear submarine HMS Swiftsure. As a qualified Russian interpreter since 1977 and Assistant Naval Attache Moscow and Warsaw from 1981-3, he was ideally suited to Upholder's intended deployment, silently patrolling the cold northern waters that formed the access corridor separating the Russian Naval Bases from the Atlantic, intercepting and interpreting their communications and reporting the intentions of Soviet submarines.
Upholder was only the second submarine to be raised by the shiplift at Barrow and the first to be traversed sideways onto the hardstanding and fully outfitted on North Quay.
Type 2400 Upholder Class SSK Specification
The Type 2400 features a single skin hull clad in elastomeric acoustic tiles, a 5-man Diver Lock-out in the fin, and a passage on 2 Deck enabling crew to pass from forward to aft without going through the Control Room.
Upholder's propulsion system comprised two high-speed diesel engines - Paxman Valenta 1600 RPA-200S -marinised versions of those employed in the latest diesel railway locomotives of that era. Each of these was coupled to a 1.4MW generator and a double-armature main motor that drove the single propeller. The generators could be used either to provide power to the main motor directly or to charge the boat's main batteries.
Upholder had six bow-mounted weapon discharge tubes, no longer called torpedo tubes because they would also be used to launch sub-surface missiles. She was fitted with a positive air turbine pump discharge system capable of firing a total of 18 dual-purpose wire-guided Tigerfish heavyweight torpedoes or Sub-Harpoon encapsulated anti-ship missiles, or mines. The traditional Torpedo Stowage Compartment (TSC) was now termed the Weapon Stowage Compartment (WSC).
A fully- integrated computerised sonar suite provided Upholder with long-range detection and attack capability. Information from the sensors was digitally processed and passed by link to a central Action Information Organisation (AIO) computer where it was displayed in coherent form for the Command Team. The Command System also processed visual data from the periscopes, information from the radar and ESM masts and manual inputs such as navigational data.
The external communications system provided Upholder with reception facilities across a wide spectrum of radio frequencies and transmission within the military, HF, VHF and UHF bands.
By making optimum use of remote control and automated surveillance systems, the ship's company was reduced from the 120 in a similarly equipped SSN Fleet submarine or the 75 needed in the more labour-intensive Oberon Class to just 47. This enabled the Type 2400 to be operated by 7 Officers, 16 Senior Rates and 24 Junior Rates.
The Type 2400 was purpose-designed with unallocated spaces to facilitate the introduction of alternative or additional equipments as they became available. The greatly reduced crew numbers arising from maximised automation gave adequate scope for greatly improved habitability. However, space is always at a premium in submarines and the luxury of 'available' space was quickly filled by the MoD with all manner of additional unplanned equipments which not only consumed the future growth margin but encroached to a limited extent on the intended spacious living and working environment.
Build Programme
1986 proved to be a turning point in the Upholder Build Programme. In January, the MoD ordered the next three Type 2400 boats. In May, the company was denationalised and privatised as VSEL in a successful management and workforce buyout and by the December, Upholder had been launched. A condition of the buyout was that the company should also take ownership of the other North West coast shipyard - Cammell Laird at Birkenhead, a famous yard of long standing which had suffered in recent years from prolonged industrial action and had little ongoing work and no orders in hand. As Cammell Laird had enjoyed a proven track record as an experienced submarine builder from 1916 to 1971, the build contracts for the remaining three ordered boats of the Upholder Class - SSK02 Unseen, SSK03 Ursula and SSK04 Unicorn - were all transferred by VSEL to their Cammell Laird yard with Barrow providing lead yard services and key personnel as necessary.
Surplus to UK Requirements
By the time the last boat HMS Unicorn had commissioned in 1993, the Cold War had been ended for some time and the decision had already been taken that the Royal Navy's submarine flotilla for the future would be all nuclear. Any thoughts of a further 6 Upholder boats had long been forgotten. Indeed, as relations with the USSR improved, even the new Upholder Class was subsequently deemed surplus to UK requirements. Inevitably, the Cammell Laird yard was closed by VSEL upon completion of the Upholder Build Programme.
Brought back to Barrow after only nominal service with the Royal Navy, the four Upholder Class were laid up under a Care and Maintenance contract placed with VSEL until a buyer could be found.
Transfer to and purchase by the Canadian Navy
In due course, after several expressions of interest by various governments, the Canadian Navy emerged as the prospective candidate. They would lease the four boats for 5 years culminating in an option to purchase for a token fee. This agreement also enabled the UK/NATO to utilise Canadian military airfields for their operations over the same period. Meanwhile, Barrow shipyard came under the new ownership of GEC in 1995 being renamed Marconi Marine (VSEL) Limited in 1996 and Marconi Naval Systems in 1998.
An Upholder Class reactivation programme at Barrow was initiated in 1999 which included the fitment of various alternative equipments to replace removed UK MoD classified equipments or to satisfy specific Canadian operational requirements.
The first boat to complete was SSK02 Unseen. She was duly handed over via the DPA and renamed Victoria - first of the Victoria Class - on October 6th 2000 at Barrow, leaving the UK on October 9th for commissioning into the Canadian Navy at Halifax, Nova Scotia on November 18th 2000. At the time of writing, the remaining boats of the Class - Ursula, Unicorn and Upholder (to be renamed Corner Brook, Windsor and Chicoutimi) were scheduled to follow their leader to Canada for commissioning into Canadian service during 2001 and 2002.
MAIN PARTICULARS TYPE 2400 SSK
Length overall 70.25 metres
Beam 7.20 metres
Displacement,
surface 1850 tonnes
submerged 2400 tonnes
Diving Depth In excess of 200m
Speed,
surface 12 knots
submerged In excess of 20 knots
Armament Six 21in. (533mm) weapon tubes
Mk 24 Mod2 Tigerfish torpedoes and Spearfish later
