Baptism of the Agamemnon atomic submarine for the Royal Navy

At BAE Systems shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness there was a baptism of a nuclear-powered submarine for the Royal Navy, future HMS Agamemnonwhich is part of a series of Astute ships.

On 23 April, BAE Systems shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness witnessed a significant event for the British Royal Navy. As part of the continuation of the centuries-old maritime tradition, Lady Sedwill, after an inspiring speech, broke a bottle of locally brewed beer on the hull of the ship Agamemnon, thus blessing the individual and all who will serve on the ship.

The baptism ceremony ended with the cutting of the cake by Lady Sedwill and the youngest member of the 98-man crew of Agamemnon, 22-year-old Aydon Hogg, a food service specialist.

Agamemnon, the sixth impact submarine of the Astute type, is approaching the final stages of its construction. It is the penultimate unit of this series, with the seventh ship, the future HMS Agincourt, still under construction. It is planned that all seven ships will actively serve in the Royal Navy by 2026, with each unit expected to be operational for at least 25 years.

Construction of the future HMS Agamemnon It began almost 11 years ago, on July 18, 2013, and a formal contract with the Defence Ministry in London was not signed until 2017. Work on the ship took place at Devonshire Dock Hall, the highest hall in Barrow, which is 260 metres long, 58 metres wide and an area of 25,000 square metres, making it one of the largest shipbuilding complexes in Europe.

They're here. HMS AgamemnonThe new Royal Navy acquisition is a submarine with impressive parameters. The unit displaces 7800 tons in immersion, it is 97 metres long and 11.3 metres wide. The heart of the ship is a pressure water reactor Rolls-Royce PWR2 Core H, supplemented by a 600-pound diesel generator MTU.

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Advanced nuclear technology ensures that Astute-type submarines never require fuel refueling and can produce their own oxygen and fresh water from the ocean, meaning they can sail around the Earth's sphere without rising. The crew of the ship has 98 officers and sailors who can watch the surroundings through the world's most perfect sensors. The ship's weapons include both tactical Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missiles (TLAM) and heavy Spearfish torpedoes.

After the completion of a series of tests and sea trials, the ship will be officially handed over to the contracting authority, thus joining sister units at the HMNB Clyde base.

Written by Mariusz Dasiewicz