HMS Churchill S-46, SSN-nuclear attack submarine HMS Churchill is the lead ship of three boats ordered in the Churchill class; built by Vickers Shipbuilding & Engineering Ltd (VSEL), in Barrow,laid down on June 30, 1967; launched on December 20, 1968 and commissioned July 15, 1970. Appropriately Churchill is one of the few warships to have been named during the lifetime of her namesake. As First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill had insisted that submarines be named rather than numbered, as a mark of respect to those who last their lives in the silent service. Churchill had the distinction of being the last nuclear submarine to be refitted at Chatham Dockyard. She decommissioned on February 28, 1991 and is laid up at Rosyth. Back to History Index   Image Country Year Description Zambia 2001 HMS Churchill,SSN S-46, 1968 (Churchill class) BIOT 2001 HMS Churchill S-46, SSN