UK’s seventh Astute-class submarine to be named HMS Achilles

The seventh and final Astute-class nuclear-powered submarine will bear the name HMS Achilles, the Royal Navy unveiled.

In May 2018, it was announced that the Ministry of Defense had signed a £1.5 billion contract with BAE Systems for the construction of the seventh Astute-class hunter-killer submarine at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.

Initially set to be named HMS Agincourt, the submarine has now been designated HMS Achilles following approval by the King of the UK Charles III. According to the navy, this new name honors a rich history, as HMS Achilles will be the sixth vessel in the navy’s history to carry the name, which is closely linked to significant battles such as the River Plate and Okinawa.

This change in name comes at a time of particular historical resonance, “with the 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day this year”, the navy noted.

In October last year, the sixth vessel in this class, HMS Agamemnon, was formally launched at BAE Systems’ facility in Barrow.

At 97 meters long and weighing 7,400 tonnes, the Astute-class submarines are said to be the first nuclear-powered submarines to be designed entirely in a three-dimensional, computer-aided environment.

They can manufacture their own oxygen and fresh water from the ocean and are said to be able to circumnavigate the globe without surfacing. The submarines carry both Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles (TLAM) and Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes.

Five Astute-class submarines, Anson, Astute, Ambush, Artful, and Audacious, are already in service, while work is also well underway in Barrow on the seventh unit.