Today's visit to the Advertiser's archives winds back the clock 15 years to the decommissioning of the Faslane-based Royal Navy submarine, HMS Splendid.

Here's how we covered the occasion in the Advertiser on August 21, 2003...

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CREW members, their families and VIPs gathered at Faslane last Thursday to mark the end of an era as HMS Splendid was decommissioned.

Taking place in scorching temperatures, the ceremony at HM Naval Base Clyde marked a long period of service dating back to the 1970s for the submarine, which included participation in wars in the Falklands and Kosovo, as well as the recent Iraq conflict.

It also marked the end of the name HMS Splendid — three vessels had previously carried the name, the first built in 1918, but the titles of the replacement submarines will share the first letter of their class, Astute.

She will undertake her last journey to Plymouth later this month.

The crowd of around 130 people at the service included families of the crew, the mayor of Blackpool, the town affiliated with the submarine, the ship’s sponsor Sarah Eberle, and former Helensburgh man Sir Ian McKeogh, who was commanding officer for a previous HMS Splendid during World War II.

Speaking before the service began, Captain Steve Upright, captain of submarines at Faslane, said it was a day of mixed emotions.

He said: “It’s a very, very sad day but we’re here to celebrate 20-plus years of service by HMS Splendid. She’s been a grand servant to the Royal Navy and the country.”