Astute-class submarine HMS Anson launches by UK Navy.

According to a press release published BAE Systems on April, 20, 2021, HMS Anson, the fifth of seven Astute class attack submarines being built for the Royal Navy, has been launched at BAE Systems site in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.
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Astute-class submarine HMS Anson at BAE Systems site in Barrow-in-Furness (Picture source: Navy Lookout)

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. 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 Astute class is the latest class of nuclear-powered fleet submarines (SSNs) in service with the Royal Navy. The class sets a new standard for the Royal Navy in terms of weapons load, communication facilities and stealth.

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 our Barrow site.

Working alongside the Submarine Delivery Agency and Rolls-Royce, the Company is also a member of the Dreadnought Alliance, helping to deliver the UK's next class of nuclear deterrent submarines. Two of the four submarines are under construction, with the first due to enter service in the early 2030s.

Equipped with world-leading sensors, the Astute-class carry both Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missiles (TLAM) and Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes. Measuring 97 metres in length the boats can circumnavigate the globe submerged, producing their own oxygen and drinking water.

The boats of the Astute class are powered by a Rolls-Royce PWR2 (Core H), a pressurised water reactor, and fitted with a pump-jet propulsor.

The PWR2 reactor was developed for the Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarines and has a 25-year lifespan without the need for refuelling.

Like all Royal Navy submarines, the bridge fin of the Astute-class boats is specially reinforced to allow surfacing through ice caps.

More than 39,000 acoustic tiles mask the vessel's sonar signature, giving the Astute class improved acoustic qualities over any other submarine previously operated by the Royal Navy.

HMS Astute, HMS Ambush, HMS Artful are already in service and were joined in April 2020 by HMS Audacious and operate from HMNB Faslane.

HMS Anson's technical details (Picture source: UK Ministry of Defense)