Royal Navy Submarine HMS Astute was launched today

HMS Astute will be the Royal Navy's most stealthy and well armed submarine, capable of delivering pin-point strikes at 2,000km with Tomahawk cruise missiles. She will also be armed with the new Spearfish torpedo weapon system. The largest and most powerful nuclear attack submarine, Astute will be equipped with the world’s most advanced sonar system, communications and intelligence gathering equipment. A new advanced nuclear power core means HMS Astute will never have to be refuelled throughout her 25-year operational life. She will also produce her own air and water meaning she can circumnavigate the globe without needing to surface. Designed entirely in a three dimensional computer aided environment, Astute has been designed entirely with performance in mind, not size or cost.

Taking part in the launch ceremonies were frigate HMS Lancaster, destroyer HMS Exeter, plus patrol boats HMS Charger and HMS Biter. All four vessels are berthed at either Town Quay or Buccleuch Dock (Barrow) from today, with Biter and Charger open to the public tomorrow between mid-day and 4pm, and Lancaster and Exeter throwing open their gangways between the same hours on Saturday and Sunday. Entry is free.

More HERE

Royal Navy - Fourth Astute Class Submarine HMS Audacious is on order.

HMS Audacious, the Royal Navy’s fourth Astute-class submarine will go into build later this year. BAE systems have received £200m to commence work on the project which will take place in their Barrow-in-Furness facility.

Audacious is named after a 74-gun third-rate ship which served under Nelson, a Victorian ironclad which served on the China Station and, perhaps most famously, a Great War dreadnought which fell victim to a mine off Northern Ireland in October 1914.

The Navy are considering a further two Astute class submarines. Rear Admiral Stevens, Flag Officer Submarines said: "The services SSN (Ship Submersible Nuclear) community has made a decisive break away from its Cold War emphasis on anti-submarine warfare (ASW) to embrace the Navy's new operational concept of Maritime Contributions to Joint Operations. The challenge now is to realise the full potential of the SSN across its wider range of tasking. Operations in direct support of surface forces are becoming a far more important part of the submarine service's operations.”

For more facts and information about the Astute Class Submarine click HERE:

Royal Navy - Astute Class Submarine ready next month

HMS Astute, due to be completed next month, is the first of three Astute Class submarines being built for the Royal Navy. HMS Astute will be the Royal Navy's most stealthy and well armed submarine, capable of delivering pin-point strikes at 2,000km with Tomahawk cruise missiles. She will also be armed with the new Spearfish torpedo weapon system.

The largest and most powerful nuclear attack submarine, Astute will be equipped with the world’s most advanced sonar system, communications and intelligence gathering equipment.

A new advanced nuclear power core means HMS Astute will never have to be refuelled throughout her 25-year operational life. She will also produce her own air and water meaning she can circumnavigate the globe without needing to surface.

Designed entirely in a three dimensional computer aided environment, Astute has been designed entirely with performance in mind, not size or cost.

Minister for defence procurement Lord Drayson, said: “The Astute Class is designed for a wide range of roles to meet today’s need for flexibility. Work has already begun on the next two boats in the class – HMS Ambush and HMS Artful – they will become a cornerstone of UK defence capability and the benefits they will bring to our Royal Navy cannot be overstated.”

Cost: £3.5bn for three subs
Weight: 7,800 tons
Length: 97m
Time to build: 6 years 4 months
Power: pressurized water reactor, fuelled for life
Crew: 98

Save the Navy Petition- The Prime Minister's Response

Details of petition:

"The MoD is planning to mothball almost half the Navy's 44 warships to cut costs. This money has been wasted, amongst other things, on a war in Iraq we can never win and that should never have been started. The government misled the public and the house to justify it and now we are paying a heavy price. The RN frigates are among the most potent weapons we have. When this is done who will be left to stop illegal immigrants from landing on our shores? Who will seek out and capture drug runners? Who will retake the Falklands when Argentina decides to invade again? As it is we already have 13 warships it would take 18 months to get into action. Act now and sign this petition, for these decisions have almost certainly already been taken. Support the Navy, once these ships are scrapped or sold we will never replace them. Britannia will no longer rule the waves."

The PM's Response

The Government has no plans to reduce the size of the Royal Navy, to withdraw warships from operational service earlier than scheduled, or to place warships in 'mothballs'.

Far from making cuts, the Government is investing heavily in the construction of new warships for the Royal Navy. We are introducing the new and highly capable Type 45 Destroyers, the first two of which have already been launched. We are building the advanced and powerful Astute class nuclear attack submarines, of which three are now on order. Above all, we are buying two new aircraft carriers which will be the largest ships ever built for the Royal Navy and which will provide the UK with the most powerful carrier force outside the USA. The Navy has also recently taken delivery of new amphibious assault and support ships which are vastly more capable than the ships they replaced.

It is wrong to imply that the costs of operations in Iraq and elsewhere are being met at the expense of the Navy. The additional costs of these operations do not fall to the defence budget, but are met from the Treasury reserve.

Only one Royal Navy ship, HMS Invincible, is being held in a state of readiness from which it would require up to eighteen months to return to operational service. She is being held in this state of readiness prior to her final withdrawal from service, as scheduled, in 2010, by which time she will be over 30 years old. The Navy has no plans to place any other ships in such a state of readiness.

If this turns out to be true it's good news for the Navy.