U.K. Royal Navy Commissions Sixth Astute-class Nuclear Submarine ‘HMS Agamemnon’

The U.K. Royal Navy officially commissioned its sixth nuclear-powered Astute-class submarine, HMS Agamemnon, at BAE Systems' Barrow-in-Furness shipyard on September 22.

HMS Agamemnon took 12 years to build. It will offer strategic deterrence, defend carrier strike groups, and guard vital underwater infrastructure. The submarine is fitted with Spearfish torpedoes and Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missiles that can attack targets at a distance of up to 1,000 miles. Agamemnon integrates stealth, endurance, and sophisticated sensors, such as video horizon-scanning technology that supersedes conventional periscopes.

The First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins stated that the commissioning overlapped with the first cut of steel for the fourth Dreadnought-class submarine, HMS King George VI, a central part of the UK Continuous at Sea Deterrent.

Once in working order, the 97-meter, 7,400-ton vessel will be able to travel around the Earth submerged for its entire journey, generating its own oxygen and drinking water, and conducting deep-under-ice operations in support of UK, NATO, and coalition operations.

The Astute-class submarines are among the quietest ever built and can reach speeds of up to 30 knots. They powered by a Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) that use nuclear fission to convert water into steam to drive the engines and generate electricity.

The Astute Class will consist of seven nuclear-powered submarines: HMS Astute, HMS Ambush, HMS Artful, HMS Audacious and HMS Anson are currently in service. The sixth boat is the newly commissioned HMS Agamemnon; and seventh boat (HMS Achilles) remains under construction.