--- title: "This British sub shows the resiliency of the Royal Navy" date: "2020-04-29" modified: "2020-10-30" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-tactical/british-sub-resiliency-royal-navy/" categories: - "History" - "Ships" - "Tactical" - "War History" --- # This British sub shows the resiliency of the Royal Navy ![]() When it comes to military history, the Guinness Book of World Records – like the rest of the public – only knows what it's allowed to know. For the longest time the Guinness Book gave the award for the longest continuously submerged patrol to the HMS *Warspite* – one of the Royal Navy's storied names. --- While there have been longer patrols the mission of the *Warspite* happened at the height of the Cold War, prowling the waters around the Falkland Islands after the end of the UK's war with Argentina. ![]() This Warspite was the eighth vessel to carry the name. The *Warspite* had a number of innovations that made it perfect for its 1983 submerged mission. It was the first Royal Navy vessel navigated entirely by gyroscope. Its nuclear-powered engines, along with air conditioning, purification systems and electrolytic gills allowed it to be submerged for weeks at a time. The longest time below the waves wasn't even its first record. During a 6,000-mile journey in the far east, the submarine did the entire run submerged, earning the then-record for longest distance submerged. But breaking records wasn't the Royal Navy's mission, it was countering the Soviet Union. No naval force on Earth was better at penetrating the USSR's maritime boundaries than the Royal Navy. *Warspite* was specially suited for spy missions in the cold waters of the Arctic. Its ability to sneak into the areas undetected allowed them to watch the Soviet Navy at work and listen to their uncoded communications. But its record-breaking underwater patrol didn't come against the USSR, it came while watching Argentina. ![]() The now-decommissioned HMS Warspite. The ship had just completed a complete, three-year refit after a massive fire nearly caused the captain to scuttle the ship. It was finished just in time for the United Kingdom to go to war with Argentina over the latter country's invasion of the Falkland Islands. In a rush to get into the action, the crew of the *Warspite* shrugged off the six-month trial period and dashed for the war. She didn't see much action in the war, but its patrol afterward was the stuff of legend at the time. The ship and its crew spent more than 112 days aboard ship and underwater, keeping the Argentine Navy at bay. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()