The Royal Navy’s latest Astute Class submarine has been officially named at BAE Systems’ Submarines site in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.

Agamemnon – named after the ancient Greek king – is the sixth of seven Astute submarines being built by the Company.

She is due to be launched later this year, ahead of being commissioned into the Royal Navy.

The ceremony was attended by the Minister for Defence Procurement and included an address by the boat’s Lady Sponsor, Lady SJ Sedwill, the wife of former UK National Security Adviser Lord Mark Sedwill. Agamemnon was then blessed and christened, with a bottle of beer from the local Ulverston Brewing Company smashed against her hull.

Steve Timms, Managing Director, BAE Systems’ Submarines business, said:

“This is a key milestone for Agamemnon and the UK nuclear submarine programme, and contributes to the Government’s Defence Nuclear Enterprise Command Paper, which underpinned the importance of our business and Barrow in delivering this national endeavour.  

The Astute Class submarines are a vital component of our nation’s defence capabilities and we are fully focused on completing the remainder of Agamemnon’s programme so she can join her sister submarines in service with the Royal Navy.”

Five Astute Class submarines are already in service, while work is also well under way in Barrow on the seventh and final boat.

Minister for Defence Procurement, James Cartlidge, said:

“HMS Agamemnon will play a vital role in defence of the nation, providing our Armed Forces with a competitive edge for decades to come. The Astute Class programme continues to support tens of thousands of jobs, with these submarines being a leading example of our commitment to investing in British sovereign capabilities.”

At 97 metres long and weighing 7,400 tonnes, advanced nuclear technology means the Astute Class submarines never need to be refuelled. They can manufacture their own oxygen and fresh water from the ocean and are able to circumnavigate the globe without surfacing.

The Astute Class carry both Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missiles (TLAM) and Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes.

According to BAE Systems:

“As the home of UK submarine design and build, the UK Government, through the Ministry of Defence are investing with BAE Systems to expand the Barrow shipyard in preparation for an exciting future. In addition to the Astute Class, construction is underway on the first three boats in the Dreadnought Class, which is the next generation of nuclear deterrent submarines that will replace the current Vanguard Class. BAE Systems is also developing the SSN-AUKUS programme, as part of the trilateral security pact between Australia, the UK and America. Under the AUKUS agreement, Australia and the UK will operate a common submarine of the future, incorporating technology from all three nations, based on the UK’s next generation design, which BAE Systems is leading.

Last year, the Ministry of Defence awarded the Company a £3.95bn contract for SSN-AUKUS, while in March the Australian Government selected BAE Systems and ASC Pty Ltd to build Australia’s new fleet of conventionally armed, nuclear powered submarines. Recognising Barrow’s integral role to the nation’s defence, the UK Government recently announced it will commit more than £200m over the next decade to ensure the town thrives and becomes an even more attractive place to live and work.”

BAE Systems’ submarines business already employs approximately 13,500 people, mainly in the North West of England, with that figure set to grow to around 17,000 in the coming years.

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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66 COMMENTS

  1. Good to hear she should be launched later this year.

    Unfortunately doesn’t take away from the reality of most of the active Astute’s languishing alongside due to a lack space in Devonport for maintenance.

    • “ Astute’s languishing alongside due to a lack space in Devonport for maintenance.”
      I’m just puzzled at how this happened. The introduction of Astute’s has been slow yet the MoD can’t ensure the facilities are available for maintenance. Heads should roll over that in my opinion, £billions of tax payers assets just sitting around.

      • Yes but as it is the result of decades of neglect who’s do you roll down the hill. The present Government is actually spending the necessary funds at Devonport, HMNB Clyde and Babcock to put it right.
        But it’s years too late if I were to take a stab at guessing the main culprit it would be the usual 3 wise Monkeys, BBC (Blier, Brown and Cameloon). Most long term infrastructure got thrown under the bus by those 3.

        • The three wise monkeys hahaha. I still haven’t forgot Brown’s golden fiscal rules and to end boom and bust, right before a sovereign debt crisis and a downgrade in our credit rating. You just can’t make this stuff up.

  3. Has HMS Anson finished its sea trials now? Only it says 5 Astutes in active service! Haven’t seen anything to say that sea trials had been completed.

  5. Not much is in the public domain, but if you compare MOD Major Project Reports, her likely delivery is about six years later than June 2005 planning assumptions, which in turn had accepted a five year delay to the programme!

    She was finally laid down in July 2013 and is likely to set a record for the longest time under construction of any RN warship begun post-WW2, beating her sister boat Audacious. 

    The large cloth (?) screen on the left of the photo has been installed to prevent any viewing of the hull segments of HMS Dreadnought, which are now being joined and fitted out alongside her in the same dock hall.

      • Official laid down and commissioning ceremony dates are subject to a lot of manipulation to suit the VIPs and political events. It’s also hard to define when construction started and ended. I would accept that the build times of Audacious, Anson and Agamemnon are arguably too close to call in practice.

        It’s great to see a historical name such as Agamemnon being re-used by the RN in the C21 for a de-facto capital ship.

    • Well the A boats were supposed to replace the S boats. I think planning assumptions went out the window a long time ago.

    • I seem to remember the option for Astute 8 being cancelled by the Cameron government and additional money being paid to BAE to slow the construction pace as the RN cuts meant they could not crew 8 boats. No doubt the glacial pace of construction for the last two A boats and Dreadnaught are a result of this . I remember conversation at the time being that it would have been cheaper just to build Astute 8 which was going to be called Ajax but Cameron didn’t want it to save embarrassment to the government over crewing.

      Looks like a pretty stupid decision now in the face of the Russian and Chinese threat. This was about the same time call me Dave was enjoying a pint with Xi Jin Ping the genocidal dictator of China.

      • Hi Jim, yes, eight does have a good solid feel to it rather than seven. Have to laugh though, if we got eight we’d then probably want nine!
        Down here in Aus the RAN on has the six Collins and considering the ocean ops area and SCS tensions you also wonder why they didn’t also go for eight in the first place. On plus side there’s a substantial P-8 fleet and drones in use or indevelopment.

      • The National Audit Office calculated that no money had been saved in the MOD’s equipment budget by cancelling Astute boat 8 as BAES’s overheads were fixed and the revised extended construction schedule for boats 4-7 dropped far below the most cost efficient 18-month “drumbeat”.

      • It did not really save any cash long term and just weakened the nation…it was the byword or the Cameroon administration…save money now pay later..

        • yeah funny how he weeviled his way back into the government init..still could be worse ….could be Tony Blair…

          Just read an article in the Times regards his organisation: The Tony Blair Insitute for Global Change…I kid you not..

          The man is still the same self serving egotistical megalomaniache always was…twat..

          • Oh the “Messiah” will be back and grinning his maniacal smile soon after the next election, you can bet a devalued pound on it! 😬

          • Indeed. Not a fan of nuclear. But to give ground to the one nation that targets the UK for cyber attacks more than anyone else, oppresses its own people, demands all Chinese anywhere in the world respond whenever called upon by the CCP, annexes SCS territories hundreds of miles away from its coast, attacks the coast guard vesssels & supply ships of the neighbours who actually have a decent claim & existing territories in the SCS, invaded & annexed Tibet, crushed pro-freedom demonstrators at Tienamen square, ratted on the HK agreement, commits genocide against the Uighers & opposes democratic freedoms etc …was extremely foolish & very dangerous.
            I’m pro-Chinese but anti CCP.

  7. I love the name, reminds me of Sheridan’s old ship in the Babylon 5 series.
    Just a pity we cannot build a few more.

  9. Fine old name for a Royal Navy vessel. Now we need a HMS Ajax and HMS Achilles to go with it, for old times sake.

  10. Hi folks hope all is well.
    Good to see and is welcome news as numbers are low at the moment. Hopefully there’s going to be enough crews to keep her active when she enters service.
    I’m not too sure if I read on this site an article by UKDJ of the possibility of an eighth Astute? Would be good to have! Experts please advise.
    Cheers
    George

      • Hi Daniele,
        Yes very true actually forgot about the AUKUS program. Hopefully we may get a higher number than the current Astute Class of seven?
        Cheers
        George

    • That opportunity passed years ago when the 2007 MOD Equipment plan had only 7 boats planned in. There were always hopes for an 8th but those were dashed by the infamous 2010 SDSR. As such no long lead items were ever ordered and the entire Nuclear supply chain has now moved on.
      HMS Agincourt has the last PWR2 reactor and production is now focussed on the PWR3, which is a way bigger beastie hence the larger diameter hull for Dreadnought and SSN(A).
      To be quite honest given the contents of that SDSR, the supply chain was surprised when the 7th had its order confirmed. The main reason being the need to ensure design and production continuity within the U.K nuclear organisation.
      To give you some idea of the incompetence of MOD and HMG in 2008 the MOD removed £139 million from the SSN project for FY09/10 through to 12/13.
      That reduced budget delayed the builds of boats 2,3 & 4 by nearly a year and had a knock on effect to the start dates and procurement for boats 5 – 7.
      The costs went up overall by @£550 million over the entire programme.
      🤞🏻

      • Damage caused by the adherence to the in year budget and immediate cost savings is extreme and has been really since the mid 2000s

  14. Now with extra defence spending we could order another 3 astute class subs..
    2 extra type 26 and type 31..
    We do live in dark times.

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