HMS Tireless (P327)

HMS Tireless (P327) was a Trafalgar-class nuclear-powered submarine in the Royal Navy. Built by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering, now BAE Systems Submarines, in Barrow-in-Furness, she was launched in March 1984 and commissioned in October 1985.

As a Trafalgar-class submarine, HMS Tireless was armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles and Spearfish torpedoes. Her primary roles included anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, intelligence gathering, and supporting special forces operations. She was powered by a Rolls-Royce PWR 1 nuclear reactor, providing significant endurance and the ability to remain submerged for extended periods.

HMS Tireless had a long and active service life, participating in various exercises and operational deployments around the world. Notably, in 2000, she suffered a cooling system failure while submerged, necessitating a surface transit and subsequent repairs. In 2003, she was involved in Operation Telic, the UK's contribution to the invasion of Iraq, where she launched Tomahawk missiles against strategic targets.

HMS Tireless was decommissioned in June 2014 after nearly three decades of service. Her decommissioning marked the end of an era, with the Trafalgar-class submarines gradually being replaced by the newer Astute-class submarines. Following decommissioning, HMS Tireless entered the disposal process, involving the removal of her nuclear fuel and eventual dismantling of the vessel.