Dismantling submarines would create well-paid, secure jobs in Scotland

3 min read5 hr

A few weeks ago, I visited HMS Swiftsure, a former nuclear-powered submarine now being safely and securely dismantled at the Babcock shipyard at Rosyth in my constituency.  This is the first time this kind of project has been attempted anywhere in the world and could mark Scotland out as a centre of excellence in this ground-breaking engineering, creating hundreds of jobs in the process.

HMS Swiftsure was launched in 1971 and was the first in a new class of submarines bearing her name. She was decommissioned in 1992 after 20 years in service, during which she played a critical role in the Cold War. This included hiding under the Soviet aircraft carrier Kiev for several hours, her periscope just three metres under the hull, gathering vital intelligence.

Beginning in 2023, Swiftsure has been the demonstrator project and a world first for the dismantling of a nuclear-powered submarine in a safe, secure and environmental way.  A team of over 200 people at Rosyth have worked day and night on the project that will eventually see 90 per cent of Swiftsure reused or recycled and the remainder safely disposed of.

For safety reasons, decommissioning Swiftsure can only be done within the small part of Rosyth shipyard that is designated as a Nuclear site, although her core was removed before she was moved to Rosyth.

The feeling on board the submarine, in dry dock and with Top Secret and other equipment removed, is nonetheless claustrophobic. With some walls stripped away, you can see how close sleeping quarters were to vital ship systems like sonar or navigation.

In the torpedo room, you find heavy ballast bricks already earmarked for use on future generations of UK submarines. The engineers showing me around told stories of sleeping in the torpedo room because it was one of the cooler air, catching a nap between the racks. 

Much of the outer steel hull of Swiftsure will be broken up and recycled as any metal frame would be, but inside there is copper and other materials that will be put to other uses.  Indeed, one of the first jobs in the dismantling was to audit and categorise every single part of the ship. This has led to conversations with local groups such as the Men’s Shed if they could use any of the components in the fantastic work they do in the local community.

In total, there are 22 submarines like Swiftsure languishing at Rosyth and Devonport. Thanks to questions I have raised in Parliament, we know this currently costs the taxpayer £10m a year. 

Surely, with the success of the work on Swiftsure, that money would be better spent safely dismantling these 22 ships, securing jobs and supporting the Scottish economy at the same time?

That is why I have been pressing the Secretary of State for Defence and his Ministerial team to make quick progress on the next stage of the Submarine Dismantling Project and there have been signs the MoD is listening.   

I will continue to press Ministers to take action so that, rather than spend £10m a year on a literal and figuratively sunken cost, we see a plan of action for dealing with the 21 other submarines like Swiftsure, bringing highly-skilled, well-paid and long-term jobs to Scotland.

Graeme Downie is the Labour MP for Dunfermline & Dollar.

PoliticsHome Newsletters

Get the inside track on what MPs and Peers are talking about. Sign up to The House’s morning email for the latest insight and reaction from Parliamentarians, policy-makers and organisations.