LAUNCHED in 1960 HMS Dreadnought was the first nuclear-powered submarine in the Royal Navy.

HMS Dreadnought was built to act as a constant at-sea deterrent in the age of nuclear superpowers.

The naming of the submarine was no coincidence, Dreadnought had been the name of British warships since the days of the Spanish Armada.

As well as patrolling the oceans of the world, Dreadnought took part in several impressive feats of endurance.

In 1967 the vessel travelled from its home in Rosyth, Scotland, to Singapore without surfacing, a journey of more than 25,000 miles.

Read part one in the story of the birth of Britain's nuclear submarine programme, and the huge part Barrow had to play.

Another milestone came on March 3, 1971 when Dreadnought became the first British submarine to surface at the North Pole.

During the escalating tensions in the Falklands Islands, Dreadnought was sent to the South Atlantic in 1977 as a deterrent to Argentinian aggression.

After 20 years at sea, Dreadnought was retired in 1980 due to wear and tear.

It is hoped that one day the vessel will return to its birthplace in Barrow to serve as a tourist attraction, and a monument to the skill that built her.