The Royal Navy crew achieved the major milestone as part of HMS Agamemnon’s ‘trim dive’, a three-day period of testing in the town’s Devonshire Dock to prove the 7,400-tonne, 97-meter-long attack vessel’s stability and safety.
The process, which comes shortly after King Charles III officially commissioned the Astute class submarine into the Royal Navy, is a key moment in the lead up to its departure from Barrow to join her sister boats in the fleet, based at His Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde.
Pete Tumelty, Astute Program Director, BAE Systems’ Submarines business, said, "This trim dive is the culmination of months of hard work. I'd like to thank all teams involved for their commitment and professionalism. We’re incredibly proud of the contribution we’re making to the nation’s security and Barrow’s long and distinguished heritage as the home of UK submarine design and build."
Alongside the build of seven Astute class submarines – of which HMS Agamemnon is the sixth – BAE Systems is also constructing four Dreadnought class boats in partnership with the wider Defense Nuclear Enterprise.
The Dreadnought vessels, due to enter service from the early 2030s, are the replacement for the Vanguard-class submarines, which currently deliver the Continuous At Sea Deterrent (CASD) for the Royal Navy. The critical role underpins the nation’s defense as the ultimate security guarantee and sees at least one of the boats deployed in an unknown location at sea every minute of every day.
Design work is also continuing on the future nuclear-powered AUKUS attack submarines as part of an agreement between the UK, the US and Australia.
