Submarines (Hansard, 20 January 1999)

§ Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the forecast hull life of the(a) Astute and (b) Vanguard class of submarines. [65738]

§ Mr. Spellar
On current plans, both classes have an estimated hull life of 25 years.

§ Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the anticipated reactor life of the(a) Astute and (b) Swiftsure class of submarines. [65741]

§ Mr. Spellar
The reactor plant to be fitted to the Astute class, and reactor plant fitted to the Swiftsure class, are anticipated to last the life of the submarines.

§ Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the displacement of the(a) Swiftsure and (b) Trafalgar class of submarines. [65740]

§ Mr. Spellar
The displacement of Swiftsure submarines, when submerged, is approximately 4,980 tons and of Trafalgar Class submarines, about 5,050 tons.

§ Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the forecast reactor life of the Trafalgar class of submarines. [66173]

§ Mr. Spellar
The reactor plant fitted to the Trafalgar class is designed to last the life of the submarines.
460W

§ Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the forecast hull life of the Swiftsure class of submarines. [66166]

§ Mr. Doug Henderson
The initial design life of Swiftsure class submarine hulls was 25 years, although there is sufficient margin to extend the life of the submarines as necessary, subject to monitoring to ensure the continuing safety of the submarines.

§ Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the anticipated reactor life of the Vanguard class of submarines. [66668]

§ Mr. Spellar
The reactor plant fitted to the Vanguard class is designed to last the life of the submarines