The Royal Navy

A community portal about The Royal Navy with blogs, videos, and photos. According to Wikipedia.org: The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services. From the early 18th century to the middle of the 20th century, it was the largest and most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant power of the 19th and early 20th centuries. During the Cold War, it was transformed into primarily an anti-submarine force, hunting for Soviet submarines, being mostly active in the North Atlantic Ocean. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, its role for the 21st century has returned to focus on global expeditionary operations.

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HMS Astute launch The Royal Navy’s newest super-submarine

Written by maddinosaur on

From: marginalizedactiondinosaur.net

HRH The Duchess of Cornwall at Astute launch day

Astute in the water [Picture courtesy of BAE Systems]

HMS Astute launch The Royal Navy’s newest super-submarine, Astute, was launched today, 8 June 2007, by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall at the BAE Systems shipyard in Barrow in Furness, Cumbria. Astute is the first nuclear submarine to be launched in the UK for almost a decade. She has been built in the UK using the latest and most advanced naval engineering techniques. Construction has been described as more complex than that of the space shuttle. Far bigger and more potent than the current class of attack submarines, this super stealthy vessel is almost 100m long, and weighs 7,400 tonnes. She will never need to be refuelled and her advanced on-board life support systems mean she can circumnavigate the globe without needing to surface. Astute’s first Commanding Officer, Commander Mike Walliker, believes the size of Astute will not present too many difficulties: “She is about 2000 tonnes in displacement greater than a normal submarine but she is about half the size of the Vanguard Class submarines so we’re very used to operating submarines of this size. Submariners are all trained to the same high level, whatever boat we’re operating and the operation of a boat is broadly the same.”

http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/operations-and-support/submarine-service/future-submarines/hms-astute/news/royal-navy%27s-biggest-and-strongest-submarine-launches-in-barrow

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