DAYLIGHT was a sight for 130 pairs of sore eyes when nuclear powered submarine HMS Tireless docked at Portland Port.

The 130-strong crew from the Royal Navy vessel will spend the next five days enjoying leisure time in Weymouth and Portland after a long stretch at sea.

This is the first time in 12 years a nuclear powered submarine has visited the area - and the first visit of such a vessel since Portland Navy Base closed in 1995.

Commanding officer (CO) Edward Ahlgren said Portland residents had nothing to fear about the submarine's presence.

"We have been operating nuclear submarines for over 14 years and we are closely regulated.

"We work closely with Dorset County Council and the public is kept informed by emergency planners about what to do in the extremely unlikely event of an incident," he said.

CO Ahlgren added that submariners will meet with a broad cross-section of the community before returning to their Plymouth base.

The borough's dignitaries and business people mingled with the crew at a cocktail party aboard the submarine, while school parties are to be given tours of HMS Tireless over the weekend.

"It's a great opportunity for them to witness what it's like in a sub and see us doing what we do. We're trying to engage in every element of society," CO Ahlgren added.

The Portland stop-off also gave Dorset County Council a chance to carry out a dry run of its nuclear disaster emergency plan and enabled the 85.4m-long vessel to test out the port's new berth. But that's not the only testing submariners will be doing while in town.

During their time away from sea the men will be taking a break from the close confines of their bunks and putting their swing to the test on the golf course.

Crewmen can stay aboard Tireless for up to 90 days before running out of rations, Weapons Engineering Officer Chris Bamforth said.

"When we're not on duty we can play computer games, watch movies and even send and receive email. It's important to keep in touch with our families," he said.

HMS Tireless - which has already journeyed 12,000 miles this year - will depart on further duties from Plymouth before returning to the UK in time for Christmas.