Editing Swiftsure-class submarine (section)

===Combat history===

Both ''Splendid'' and ''Spartan'' were ordered to sail south for the [[Falkland Islands]] two days before the [[1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands|Argentine invasion]] of the islands on 30 March 1982. ''Spartan'' was the first boat to arrive in the islands and began to enforce a {{convert|200|mi|km|adj=on}} [[Total Exclusion Zone|maritime exclusion zone]] imposed by the British. Shortly after, ''Spartan'' sighted Argentine merchant shipping mining the harbour at [[Stanley, Falkland Islands|Stanley]], but was not ordered to attack. This was partly due to British concerns about escalating the war too early, but also to avoid scaring off more valuable targets such as the Argentine [[aircraft carrier]] {{ship|ARA|Veinticinco de Mayo|V-2|2}}. Unlike {{HMS|Conqueror|S48|6}}, neither ''Spartan'' nor ''Splendid'' [[wikt:fire in anger|fired in anger]] during the [[Falklands War]], but they did provide valuable reconnaissance to the British Task Force on Argentine aircraft movements and the submarines' presence effectively restricted the freedom of action of the [[Argentine Navy]] which spent most of the war confined to port.

In the late 1990s, ''Splendid'' became the first British vessel to be armed with American-built [[Tomahawk (missile family)|Tomahawk]] [[cruise missile]]s. In 1999 the [[BBC]] was allowed on board the boat to record her firing Tomahawks in battle against [[Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslav]] targets in [[Belgrade]] during the [[Kosovo War]], becoming the first British submarine in the conflict to do so. She again fired these weapons against Iraqi targets in the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/3075011.stm|title=BBC NEWS – UK – Scotland – Hero's welcome for sub crew|date=17 July 2003 |access-date=19 December 2014}}</ref>