Since her launch in 1978, she has taken part in many conflicts involving British forces around the globe.
Her first major conflict came in 1982 when Argentine forces invaded the British held Falkland Islands. Spelndid was one of the first submarines to reach the islands, arriving mid April, after sailing from Gibraltar. Unlike HMS Conqueror, Splendid did not fire in anger, she did however provide valuable reconnaissance to the British Task Force on Argentine aircraft movements. Spendid's presence also ensured that the Argentine Navy would not dare leave its port.
In the late 1990s, HMS Splendid became the first British ship to be armed with American built Tomahawk cruise missiles. Splendid fired these in anger against Serbian targets in Belgrade during the Kosovo War. She again fired these weapons against positions in Afganistan in support of US-led operations against the Taliban; and against Iraqi targets in Gulf War II.
In July 2003, HMS Splendid returned to her home at Faslane naval base on the River Clyde in Scotland where she will be shortly decommissioned.