Fifth Astute-class nuclear submarine sails for the first time
HMS Anson heads towards the open sea for its transfer from Barrow to HMNB Clyde. (Photo: BAE Systems)
HMS Anson will join the four existing Astute-class boats in operational service once sea trials are complete.
HMS Anson, the fifth Astute-class submarine has departed the company’s shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria for HM Naval Base Clyde.
The boat will then carry out sea trials before entering operational service.
Ben Wallace, UK Secretary of State for Defence, said: ‘HMS Anson will play a vital role in defending the UK, providing a competitive edge for decades to come, and I am proud to see her make her journey up to her permanent home on the Clyde.’
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HMS Anson was formally commissioned into the navy during a ceremony in last year, and the sixth and seventh Astute-class boats are at an advanced stage of construction in Barrow.
BAE Systems is also undertaking early design and concept work for the Royal Navy’s next generation of submarines which will eventually replace the Astute class, referred to as SSN-Replacement (SSNR).
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