HMS Anson, the fifth of seven Astute class attack submarines being built for the Royal Navy, has been launched at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.
The 7,400-tonne nuclear-powered submarine, officially named at a ceremony in December, emerged from the Devonshire Dock Hall and entered the water for the first time earlier today (April 20). The launch was a special moment for the Barrow shipyard, which is celebrating its 150th year and a long and proud relationship with the Royal Navy.
Anson will now begin the next phase of its test and commissioning programme, before leaving Barrow for sea trials with the Royal Navy next year.
“The launch marks an important milestone in the Astute program and seeing Anson enter the water at such an advanced state is a tangible demonstration of everyone’s hard work over the years. Designing and building nuclear-powered submarines is a national endeavor and days like this bring a huge sense of pride for our workforce, our partners in the submarine enterprise, and our UK supply chain, not to mention our communities. We now look forward to a successful test and commissioning phase and working alongside Anson’s crew to prepare the submarine for operations with the Royal Navy.” said Steve Timms, Managing Director BAE Systems Submarines.
HMS Anson
The Astute class boats are the largest and most advanced attack submarines ever built for the Royal Navy. Measuring 97 metres in length, the boats can circumnavigate the globe submerged, producing their own oxygen and drinking water.
The first four submarines in the class, HMS Astute, HMS Ambush, HMS Artful and HMS Audacious, have been handed over to the Royal Navy, with a further two boats currently under construction at BAE System’s Barrow site.
| Type: | Nuclear-powered submarine |
| Displacement: | Surfaced: 7,000 to 7,400 t (7,300 long tons; 8,200 short tons) Submerged: 7,400 to 7,800 t (7,700 long tons; 8,600 short tons) |
| Length: | 97 m (318 ft 3 in) |
| Beam: | 11.3 m (37 ft 1 in) |
| Draught: | 10 m (32 ft 10 in) |
| Propulsion: | Rolls-Royce PWR 2 reactor, MTU 600 kilowatt diesel generators |
| Speed: | 30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph), submerged |
| Range: | Unlimited |
| Endurance: | Unlimited in terms of propulsion, air and water, but otherwise typically 90 days, based on the amount of food carried and endurance of the crew |
| Test depth: | Over 300 m (984 ft 3 in) |
| Complement: | 98 (capacity for 109) |
| Sensors and processing systems: | Thales Sonar 2076 Atlas DESO 25 echosounder 2 × Thales CM010 optronic masts Raytheon Successor IFF |
| Armament: | 6 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes with stowage for up to 38 weapons:Tomahawk Block IV cruise missiles Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes |
Check out Naval Library App to find out the specifications of the Astute Class Submarines.
