Preface: The aim of this article is to provide background and general information which is intended to improve the reader's understanding of the articles which follow in this special issue of "The Nuclear Engineer", The text does not necessarily articulate official MoD policy or formally endorsed doctrine. Why does the UK need nuclear submarines? To answer this question it is useful to go right back to the early history of submarines and think about what the early inventors were trying to achieve. During Admiral Howe's blockade of New York in 1776, David Bushnell's submersible, the Turtle, piloted by Sergeant Ezra Lee attempted to attack HMS EAGLE, a 64-gun ship. Although the attack failed to damage HMS EAGLE, it was nonetheless successful as the British Fleet weighed anchor and moved several miles away to Staten Island. This occurrence provides probably the first and most obvious example of the effect that a submarine can achieve.
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