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In just one hundred years, the Royal Navy Submarine Service has
progressed from a force with tiny, slow and unwieldy craft capable
of firing a torpedo only a few hundred yards to one with vessels
which carry Britain's strategic nuclear deterrent and are able
to launch missiles of huge destructive power over thousands of
miles.
During that time, the perception of the submarine's role has
changed totally. At its outset in 1901, the Service made a very
cautious beginning, being unpopular with most of the rest of the
Navy. Admiral Sir Arthur Wilson VC, Controller of the Navy, voiced
the opinion of the vast majority when he allegedly described submarines
as "underhand, unfair and damned un-English. They'll never
be any use in war and I'll tell you why: I'm going to get the
First Lord to announce that we intend to treat all submarines
as pirate vessels in wartime and that we'll hang all the crews".
Sixty seven years later, the Daily Telegraph described the beginning
of deterrent patrols with nuclear weapons as "taking out
on behalf of the nation the best insurance policy it has ever
had".
Today the Royal Navy Submarine Service plays the principal role
in the defence of the United Kingdom.
See Image 1 in the Image
Gallery.
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