It is 50 years since the Queen Mother sailed up the Gareloch in the royal yacht Britannia to open HMS Neptune, then known as the Clyde Submarine Base.
At that time there were around 2,350 people working on the site – the Ministry of Defence estimates that construction of the base cost some £24m (£1.3bn today).
And yesterday military and civilian personnel at what is now Scotland’s largest military base came together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of what is now called HM Naval Base Clyde.
Admiral Sir Philip Jones, the First Sea Lord, reviewed submariners, sailors and Royal Marines at a ceremony at the base.
“I’m really pleased to attend this event and to share in the celebrations as we mark an important milestone in the life of HMS Neptune,” he said.
“I’d like to thank all those who work at Her Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde, whatever their role, for everything they have done and continue to do in support of this vital endeavour to ensure our nation’s security.”
Although there has been a Royal Navy presence on the Gareloch since the First World War, the naval base officially came into being in 1968, which was also the year when HMS Resolution conducted the first operational Polaris patrol.
The next year the UK fully adopted its policy of continuous at sea deterrence, which the MoD says remains unbroken to this day.
Commodore Mark Gayfer, Naval Base Commander Clyde, said: “It takes a tremendous amount of dedication and effort to sustain, not just our submarines through high-quality engineering support, but also those who serve in them and their families.
“To achieve an unbroken chain of continuous deterrent patrols for almost 50 years is a testament to the hard work and determination of generations of submariners, base workers and their families.
“The Clyde has a proud maritime history and I am confident that the naval base and HMS Neptune will continue this tradition of world-class engineering and personnel support for another 50 years or more.”
For a period in the 1980s the Naval Base became the largest construction site in Europe as a major civil construction programme was launched to accommodate the Trident weapon system.
By 1994 the huge project had finished, with HMS Vanguard completing the first operational Trident patrol in December that year.
In 1995 the base became home to seven Royal Navy mine hunters which transferred from Rosyth. With their arrival the site changed its name from the Clyde Submarine Base to HM Naval Base Clyde as it is still known today.
The MoD says the base now has a workforce of around 6,800. It is also home to the Royal Navy’s new Astute Class of attack submarines as well as Royal Marines from 43 Commando and the Flag Officer Sea Training (North) organisation.
HM Naval Base Clyde will become the sole home of the UK Submarine Service from 2020 as well as the future home of the Dreadnought Class of nuclear deterrent submarines.
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