Mountbatten Medallic History of Great Britain and the Sea Medal: Britain's First Nuclear Submarine- HMS Dreadnought
AssociatedAssociated with
Lord Mountbatten of Burma
(Frogmore House, Windsor, England, 1900 - 1979)
Medallist
John Pinches, Medallists
DateMay 2004
Object NameMedal
MediumSterling Silver
ClassificationsMedals
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDMS072500.103
About MeUntil the advent of nuclear power, submarines used diesel engines for surface cruising and electric motors when submerged. This meant they could only cruise under water for about 48 hours before they had to surface in order to recharge their batteries. Even when fitted with schnorkels, so that they need not actually surface, they had to rise up far enough to become vulnerable to air attack. The nuclear reactor changed all that and made it possible for the submarine to stay submerged for months at a time, thus changing the submarine into a vessel that could equal the range of a battleship and the striking power of an aircraft carrier. The Americans had managed to produce a reactor small enough and safe enough for submarine purposes by 1955, and their ship Nautilus was the world's first nuclear-powered vessel. Britain's first nuclear submarine was HMS Dreadnought, built by Vickers Armstrong at Barrow. In 1958 the U.S. Government made available a complete propulsion unit of the kind fitted to their own Skipjack. The British submarine was laid down in 1959 and launched the following year with a hull of British design, based on U.S. naval models.
The ship is capable of a submerged speed of 28 knots and has an almost unlimited range (the main advantage of nuclear power being the length of time it can operate without refuelling). The water-distilling plant can supply enough fresh water for the longest voyage; not only for drinking but for showers and washing machines! The ship is 265 feet long with a beam of 32 feet; submerged, her displacement is 4,000 tons. Her full complement is 11 officers and 77 men. Her armament is six torpedo tubes in the bow.
HMS Dreadnought is fitted with a sophisticated navigational system which enabled her to surface accurately at the North Pole in 1970, the first British submarine to perform this feat.
The Mountbatten Medallic History of Great Britain and the Sea, John Pinches Medallists Ltd.
Lord Mountbatten of Burma
May 2004
Lord Mountbatten of Burma
May 2004
Lord Mountbatten of Burma
May 2004
Lord Mountbatten of Burma
May 2004
Lord Mountbatten of Burma
May 2004
Lord Mountbatten of Burma
May 2004
Lord Mountbatten of Burma
May 2004
Lord Mountbatten of Burma
May 2004
Lord Mountbatten of Burma
May 2004
Lord Mountbatten of Burma
May 2004
Lord Mountbatten of Burma
May 2004
Lord Mountbatten of Burma
May 2004
Lord Mountbatten of Burma
May 2004
Lord Mountbatten of Burma
May 2004
Lord Mountbatten of Burma
May 2004
Lord Mountbatten of Burma
May 2004
Lord Mountbatten of Burma
May 2004
Lord Mountbatten of Burma
May 2004
Lord Mountbatten of Burma
May 2004
Lord Mountbatten of Burma
May 2004
Lord Mountbatten of Burma
May 2004
Lord Mountbatten of Burma
May 2004
Lord Mountbatten of Burma
May 2004
Lord Mountbatten of Burma
May 2004
