How many crew members were on board the sunken Royal Navy’s nuclear submarine? Vessel carrying Trident missiles suffers massive malfunction

A shocking piece of news came to light as a Royal Navy nuclear submarine that was carrying Trident missiles suffered a massive malfunction. Due to the malfunction, the submarine began sinking towards its crush depth. It is worth noting that in the Vanguard class vessel, there were a total of 140 crew members as they were going on a mission in the Atlantic.

Details about the vessel's name or the depth it went to have not been revealed due to security reasons. The submarine's descent became immediately apparent when the engineers who were working at the backside of the vessel noticed the depth of the vessel on another gauge.

Soon after this, they raised alarm about the situation. The Sun quoted a source, that said,

"It's not the engineers' job to control the sub's depth but they saw how deep they were and realised something was wrong. Technically, the sub was still at a depth where we know it can operate, but if it ever has to go that deep the whole crew is piped to action-stations."

The source further said,

"That hadn't happened. The sub wasn't supposed to be there, and it was still diving. And if it had carried on going, it doesn't really bear thinking about."

The Navy even gave a statement to The Sun, in which they said they do not comment on operations. Their submarines continue to be deployed globally, protecting national interests.

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What was the submarine carrying Trident missiles doing at the time it started diving into the sea?

For those unaware, the submarine carrying Trident missiles was patrolling underwater when the depth indicators stopped working. At that time, the crew thought that the submarine was on the same level. However, it was, in reality, going deeper into the ocean.

Athough the specific depth that the submarine that was carrying Trident missiles reached is currently unknown. It is worth noting that the maximum operational depth for this type of vessel is approximately 500 meters, as stated by Military Today.

Following this shocking incident, a prompt investigation was initiated, as reported by insiders. It's important to highlight that this event did not impact the UK's nuclear deterrent capabilities.

The particular Vanguard Class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine that was carrying Trident missiles involved in the incident remains unidentified. The Royal Navy's four vessels, namely HMS Vanguard, Vengeance, Victorious, and Vigilant, each have a displacement of 15,900 tonnes when submerged and a length exceeding 149 meters.

Moreover, a submarine carrying nuclear weapons has been patrolling non-stop since 1969 as it is a part of the UK's at-sea deterrent. Currently, the UK has four special submarines under the Vanguard-class. Out of these, only two are currently operational as one is being renovated and the other one is being tested. The one being tested, according to reports, had to undergo repairs and maintenance totalling more than £300 million.