Just under a year after being launched, the Royal Navy celebrated the commissioning of HMS Agamemnon, the sixth nuclear-powered Astute-class attack submarine. The announcement, made today, September 22, took place during an official ceremony at BAE Systems’ facilities in Barrow-in-Furness, presided over by His Majesty King Charles.
As of today, the Astute-class stands as one of the most advanced nuclear-powered attack submarine series in service, and one of the United Kingdom’s main global deterrence platforms. However, the entry into service of HMS Agamemnon comes at a time of transition for the Royal Navy’s submarine force.
Months ago, after 34 years of service, the Royal Navy bid a final farewell to HMS Triumph, the last of the Trafalgar-class submarines, which officially passed the torch to the new Astute-class nuclear submarines. Nonetheless, the consolidation of a single attack submarine platform for the Royal Navy coincides with a period of low availability of operational units.
As noted at the time, of the then five submarines in service, excluding HMS Anson, all were docked for maintenance and upgrades, or awaiting them. The cases of HMS Ambush and HMS Artful are the most telling examples, as they have not put to sea in three and two years, respectively.
In this context, the commissioning of HMS Agamemnon is expected to help mitigate the situation, while the UK Ministry of Defence outlines efforts to address it in the medium term.
On the occasion of its commissioning, the Royal Navy stated: “Once operational, Agamemnon’s mission will be both the sword and the shield of the Fleet—protecting the nuclear deterrent, carrier strike groups and critical underwater infrastructure, and striking enemies when necessary with Spearfish torpedoes against surface ships and hostile submarines, or Tomahawk cruise missiles to hit land targets up to 1,000 miles away.”
Finally, as the Astute Program nears completion, BAE Systems continues work on the seventh and last unit of the class. Designated HMS Agincourt (S125), its launch has not yet been officially confirmed, but it is projected to enter service between 2028 and 2029.
Cover photo used for illustration purposes.
