Royal Navy Launches The New Submarine HMS Agamemnon

The most advanced hunter-killer submarine in the Royal Navy is today in the water for the first time. HMS Agamemnon, the penultimate Astute-class submarine built for the UK’s Silent Service, has been formally launched at BAE Systems’ facility in Barrow, following a delicate operation to move the 7,400-tonne boat from the construction hall into the neighbouring basin.

Nicknamed ‘Awesome Aggie’, the sixth of seven Astute-class submarines built for the Royal Navy over the past quarter of a century, takes her name from the legendary Greek king who besieged Troy.

When she joins the Fleet, Agamemnon will serve at the leading edge of submarine operations into the second half of the 21st Century, shielding the UK’s nuclear deterrent and aircraft carrier task groups from hostile threats, gathering intelligence, launching Royal Marine raids and, where necessary, striking at the UK’s enemies on land with pinpoint accuracy through her Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Agamemnon’s Commanding Officer Commander David ‘Bing’ Crosby said it had taken a superb collaborative effort between BAE Systems Submarines, Agamemnon’s crew and the wider Astute enterprise to ready the leviathan for her launch – 123 years to the day the nation’s first submarine was completed in the same yard.

To read more, please visit the Royal Navy's website.