Work on new submarines expected to start next year

5 hours ago

Tom MacDougallNorth East and Cumbria

News image — HMS Astute was the first Astute class submarine to be built in Barrow

MOD/Crown Copyright A black HMS Astute submarine, seen from above and at a slight distance so the whole vessel is visible and the size of it is unclear. A flag on the conning tower, two thirds of the way towards the front of the vessel, gives a hint at the scale of it. The submarine is surrounded by blue-black sea with churning white foam on its flanks and in its wake. — HMS Astute was the first Astute class submarine to be built in Barrow

The government has confirmed work is expected to start next year on submarines to be built in England as part the Aukus deal between the UK, US and Australia.

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting reiterated they would be manufactured by BAE Systems in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, and steel cutting should begin in 2027, marking the start of production and with the first coming into service in the late 2030s.

They will replace the Astute class submarines, the seventh and last of which is being built in Barrow now.

How many the UK would build under the deal would not be decided until 2028, Streeting said.

The vessels will be nuclear-powered but will not carry nuclear weapons.

While the UK's Aukus submarines will be constructed in Barrow, Australia will build its submarines at Osborne Naval Shipyard in South Australia.

The Royal Australian Navy will also operate its own fleet.

'Barrow engineers' tireless work '

The government's Defence Investment Plan committed £6bn last year to infrastructure programmes in Barrow and Raynesway in Derby, home to Rolls-Royce Submarines.

This would allow the production of a submarine every 18 months in the future, it said.

BAE Systems' Barrow shipyard was of "critical importance" to national security and the only facility in the UK with the infrastructure, site licence and resources to build nuclear submarines in the UK, the government said.

The facility is also building Dreadnought Class submarines, which do carry nuclear weapons and are expected to enter service in the early 2030s.

The government said: "It is thanks to the tireless work of these engineers in Barrow, scientists in Aldermaston, submariners out on patrol, and thousands more besides, that the nuclear deterrent remains the very cornerstone of our national security."

The plans are part of wider development of Barrow, including a 10-year transformation plan and £2.8m committed towards funding the town's voluntary and community sector.

The town also opened its first university campus this year, run by the University of Cumbria.

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