What You Need to Know: HMS Agamemnon, the Royal Navy's sixth Astute-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, has completed its construction phase at Barrow-in-Furness and will soon be launched into the water.
-Set for commissioning by the end of next year, the submarine boasts cutting-edge technology, including a 3D computer-aided design, high-specification video systems replacing traditional periscopes, and over 39,000 anti-acoustic tiles that make it nearly silent underwater.
-Named after the ancient Greek king, this vessel continues a legacy of Royal Navy ships bearing the name, some of which participated in historic battles like Trafalgar. The final Astute-class submarine, HMS Agincourt, is also nearing completion.
HMS Agamemnon, the Royal Navy's sixth Astute-class nuclear-powered fleet submarine (SSN), was moved from the Devonshire Dock Hall (DDH) at Barrow-in-Furness, and will soon be lowered into the water and is on track to be commissioned by the end of next year. With the construction phase essentially completed, the submarine is on track to "go critical for the first time," Navy Lookout reported this week.
The sixth of seven planned nuclear-powered boats, the submarine was officially named for the ancient Greek king at a ceremony earlier this year. With the move from the DDH, the facility will also next begin the assembly of the future HMS Dreadnought, the lead boat of a new class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) that will enter service with the Royal Navy "in the early 2030s," Navy Lookout added.
The Royal Navy's Astute class boats have been noted for being the first nuclear-powered submarines in the world to be designed in a 3D computer-aided environment. Moreover, they have been outfitted with many technological firsts, including not having an optical periscope. Instead, high-specification video technology has been employed, which enables the crew to scan the horizon and get a 360-degree view to address any potential threat.
In addition, unlike other nuclear-powered submarines, the Astute class was developed to utilize state-of-the-art anti-acoustic tiles. Each hull is fitted with more than 39,000 acoustic tiles that mask the vessel's sonar signature and allow the submarines to glide through the water almost silently. The little noise the boats give off has been compared to that of a "baby dolphin."
In addition to being the sixth Astute-class submarine, the SSN is also the sixth Royal Navy vessel to be named for Greek King Agamemnon, who according to ancient Greek mythology commanded the Achaeans during the legendary Trojan War.
Past warships included the 64-gun third-rate ship-of-the-line that took part in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805; and the Lord Nelson-class pre-dreadnought battleship that saw service in the Dardanelles Campaign of the First World War.
"The Royal Navy has always respected the figures of the Trojan War, possibly because, for the Greeks, it was a seaborne war: or perhaps because of the exaggerated respect that the mostly unlettered British naval officers of the 18th and 19th centuries had for classical learning," explained Lewis Page, former Royal Navy officer, to the Greek Reporter news outlet.
Page added that the name holds a special place in the history of the Royal Navy.
"An HMS Agamemnon was present at British battles from the Saints, Copenhagen and Trafalgar to the Dardanelles and the minewarfare campaigns of the Second World War," Page continued. "In a historical echo reverberating particularly loudly today, an HMS Agamemnon was there when Britain fought Russia in the Crimea. When the ship's company of the latest Agamemnon raise their glasses to the Immortal Memory of Lord Nelson on Trafalgar Night, they will no doubt recall with pride that Admiral Nelson had been captain of the first HMS Agamemnon."
This sixth Agamemnon will also certainly be the most powerful to date, as each Astute-class fleet submarine is equipped with world-leading sensors, while it is armed with Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missiles and Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes. And though its crew won't get to smell the fresh ocean air, the submarine will be able to circumnavigate the globe submerged, while producing its own oxygen and drinking water.
The final sub of the Astute class, HMS Agincourt, is now being completed at the BAE Systems Submarines at Barrow-in-Furness. That submarine will be the sixth Royal Navy vessel to be named after 1415's Battle of Agincourt, a major English victory fought during the Hundred Years War.
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.
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