A Royal Navy hunter-killer submarine has made history after setting a new record. HMS Astute has completed the longest first commission in British submarine history, following 15 years of continuous service across the world.
The nuclear-powered boat arrived in Devonport naval base this week where she will undergo a multi-million pound mid-life revamp. HMS Astute has spent the last nine months on operations in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. The last act of HMS Anson’s first commission was to give VIPs and the crew’s family and friends a rare insight into life on board the submarine.
After leaving Plymouth, they spent a few hours beneath the waves and were offered a Royal Navy favourite, the cheesy wham bam (cheese on toast plus grilled ham and fried egg).
Astute’s Commanding Officer, Commander Christopher Bate, said: “This snapshot was a small token from the ship’s company to celebrate and thank friends and families for the support and sacrifices made while HMS Astute had been away and on operations and show them some of the differences that life on a nuclear submarine holds.”
The 97-metre boat is the first of her Astute-class — five of the boats are in service, with the sixth set to be commissioned later this year and the final vessel still under construction.
HMS Astute was commissioned in 2010 and has achieved a number of firsts during her service.
She is the first Astute-class boat to visit Australia and the US, as well as being the first to transit through the Suez Canal.
The Astute-class is conventionally armed, unlike the Navy’s Vanguard-class boats which carry the UK’s nuclear deterrent Trident missiles.
HMS Astute and her sister boats possess weapons including Tomahawk missiles — an American submarine used the missiles to strike an Iranian nuclear facility in US attacks last month. Tomahawk cruise missiles have a range of more than 1,000 miles.
The Navy did not say how long HMS Astute’s refit will take but the programmes can take a number of years.
All of the Navy’s submarines are stationed at the Faslane naval base but all upgrade work is carried out in Devonport.
From the late 2030s, the Astute-class is expected to be replaced by a fleet of up to 12 SSN-AUKUS submarines.
Earlier this year, a Vanguard-class boat returned home after 204 days under the waves in what is believed to have been the longest deployment in Royal Navy history.