ONE of the Royal Navy’s most celebrated submarines will today make its next stop in Southampton.

Plymouth-based HMS Tireless, which has served in the Arctic and Gibraltar, will be berthed in Eastern Docks during a five-day visit to the city.

The nuclear-powered submarine, launched in March 1984, will welcome visitors from Sea and Air Cadet and Sea Scout units from across Hampshire, as well as sixth form college pupils.

Civic dignitaries and city council chiefs are also set to board the vessel and meet the crew, during its five-day visit.

Among the crew is the vessel’s Commanding Officer, Commander Hywel Griffiths, who is a former pupil at Peter Symonds College, in Winchester.

He said: “Having completed my secondary education and worked in the local area prior to joining the Royal Navy, it is with immense personal pride that I bring HMS Tireless to Southampton under my command.

“It is a welcome opportunity for my ship’s company to meet people and visit the city of Southampton and for local people to visit us so that we may demonstrate how we are engaged day to day in protecting our nation’s interests.”

Last May, HMS Tireless returned from a ten-month deployment to the Middle East, where she conducted several missions to help combat the threat of terrorism.