New Royal Navy Nuclear Submarine Commissioned

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[Captain Davies]

A new Nuclear Submarine has been unveiled for the Royal Navy at BAE Barrow, Cumbria.  The Astute Class submarine, the first new British submarine in 10 years, has been named HMS Astute by the Camilla Dutchess of Cornwall (wife to Prince Charles the Prince of Wales and future King of England). 

She is one fo four Astute Class submarines being built for the Royal Navy, the other 3 are to be named Ambush, Artful and Audacious.  She will be equipped with state of the art cruise missiles and torpedos and the vessel itself is more advanced than the space shuttle. 

She is the most powerful British submarine ever created.  Her controversy is increased due to the use of a nuclear reactor to run her engines.

She will see active service in 2009 and will be based in Scotland, along with her three sister ships when they are completed soon after.  The unveiling comes just as Tony Blair is being accused of cripplingly downsizing the Royal Navy.

[Captain Davies]

Yes, she was christened HMS Astute by the Dutchess of Cornwall.

Just because the space shuttle is over 30 years old doesn't mean the technology is aswell.  I'm quite sure they keep the onboard computers and such well up to date.

It's controversial because anything to do with nuclear creats controversy here in the UK.  There's controversy over building more nuclear power plants here, controversy over replcing the Trident Nuclear Missile system and of course there will be controversy over creating yet more submarines with nulcear reactors for power.  There have been strong anti-nuclear campaigns in the UK since our government started using the stuff back in the 60s.

There have been many accusations made against Tony Blair, overly downsizing the Royal Navy is just one of them.  The BAE scandal is the suspicion that he, or someone within the government stopped an investigation by Trading Standards into the alligations that BAE bribed a Prince in Saudi Arabia with £1 billion to choose them for an air defence contract worth £50 billion.

EDIT:  This post may seem odd, but it was a reply to a post which appears to have been deleted now.  I'm keeping this one because other posts in this topic have been made in relation to this one.

[Paddy134]

The royal navy ordered a new air craft carrier a while back didn't they? It is supposed to be a simular size to the american air craft carriers.

[Captain Davies]

Yeah, I think the last word on that was that the plans were being scrapped.

[Stuart2007]

It is likely that the invincible class will be sold to India in the near future as we are getting these super carriers.

They will wait until the sale has gone through before cancelling the project.

Without going off topic to politics, the royal navy has been detroyed not by an enemy navy but our own 'leader'. I'm afraid it isn't just the navy- but thats a story for a politics forum!

(17 days 'til he goes!!!!!!)

Stu

[Captain Davies]

Yeah well just remember Stu, his successor is likely to spend even less on defence.

[Traddles]

Best to keep politics out of this. Even tho' we may not like the politicians!!!!

[Stuart2007]

Best to keep politics out of this. Even tho' we may not like the politicians!!!!

OK. ALL politicians should be forced onto a ship and KEEL HAULED. End of

Stu

[Captain Davies]

But couild you also elaborate on the controversy about the nuclear reactor due? What kind of due?

Sorry, just noticed the detail of your question here.  What I meant to say was "controversy has been increased due to the nuclear reactor".  Not that there was due (or perhaps you thought I meant dew) on the reactor itself!

[Stuart2007]

Capt D

Do you think it would be fair to say that people generally do not like what they do not understand. And that here in Britain there has possibly been certain high profile people steering the debate who have absolutely no knowledge about the subject of which they speak.

I think we all know which hgh profile 'once was' singers that are promoting this fear.

Stu

[Captain Davies]

Capt D

Do you think it would be fair to say that people generally do not like what they do not understand. And that here in Britain there has possibly been certain high profile people steering the debate who have absolutely no knowledge about the subject of which they speak.

I think we all know which hgh profile 'once was' singers that are promoting this fear.

Stu

I think that when most people think of a nuclear reactor they think of the possibility of a great big explosion.

[Stuart2007]

Yes, and that viewpoint is promoted by the aforementioned oncewas singers who have no knowledge of how a modern pwr shipboard reactor actually works.

Stu

[Paddy134]

The only people posting on this topic are British. lol

[mporter]

The only people posting on this topic are British. lol

You bet!  The rest of us know to keep out of a family food fight! <ducking>

 

[[RWP]DJM]

You bet!  The rest of us know to keep out of a family food fight! <ducking>

 

LOL, I like that

[Stuart2007]

You bet!  The rest of us know to keep out of a family food fight! <ducking>

 

Ha. The way our Navy budget is going, soon a food fight is all we'll be able to put up!

Stu

NB No offence to Navy personnel (except a few from HMS Cornwall) only offence to MOD bean counters.

[Captain Davies]

Ha. The way our Navy budget is going, soon a food fight is all we'll be able to put up!

LOL!

[subroc]

... 

She is one fo four Astute Class submarines being built for the Royal Navy, the other 3 are to be named Ambush, Artful and Audacious.  She will be equipped with state of the art cruise missiles and torpedos and the vessel itself is more advanced than the space shuttle. 

She is the most powerful British submarine ever created.  Her controversy is increased due to the use of a nuclear reactor to run her engines.

...

Nice boat! Very nice  I like Audacious but BOdacious would work aswell   the russians just launched a new boat awhile back..

[Captain Davies]

I take it from your signature that you are a submariner yourself, what class ship do you serve on?

[AriesDW]

Yeah, I think the last word on that was that the plans were being scrapped.

That is okay. The new Enterprise class, which is to surpass the Nimitz, we were supposed to have by 2010 and now we here she is scrapped as well. No new carriers on either side of the pond I guess.

[AriesDW]

Sorry, just noticed the detail of your question here.  What I meant to say was "controversy has been increased due to the nuclear reactor".  Not that there was due (or perhaps you thought I meant dew) on the reactor itself!

HA HA HA! Whew to that! I am happy to see a new sub coming out of the UK. It certainly is a head turner and I am sure she will be a damn good ship.

What happened to the Narwhals  class vessels (I think that is the name of the Missile sub last built in the UK which had a similar design style.)?

[subroc]

I take it from your signature that you are a submariner yourself, what class ship do you serve on?

Rgr that bro  SSN 637 class, 688 class, SSBN 617 class 12 patrols retired been on  several UK, Italian, Canadian, French boats as a tourist.. UK and French boats had some pretty good beer?

looks like pretty soon submarine navigation types will all be replaced they just launched a "paperless" SSN in Norlfolk

11 May 2007
Sub deploys with paperless navigation system

hmm no more chart corrections Notice to mariners as email, no deck logs (thats been happening for years now)  wow  the life.. No celestrial, no ship's inertial navigation GPS 24/7 Think Ill re-up  ... only hope you never blow a fuze


http://poseidon.sperry-marine.com/Products/ECDIS_Integrated_Navigation_Bridge_Systems/naviecdis/ (http://poseidon.sperry-marine.com/Products/ECDIS_Integrated_Navigation_Bridge_Systems/naviecdis/)

Sea Fighter will also provide a platform for the evaluation of minimum manning concepts on future naval surface ships. A base crew of 26 (Navy and U.S. Coast Guard) personnel will be responsible for all operations and basic maintenance, requiring a significant shift in the normal levels of manning currently used to accomplish various missions and tasks. Sea Fighter also will be among the first U.S. Navy ships to employ "paperless" navigation through the use of the Sperry Marine Electronic Charting and Display Information System (ECDIS) and Voyage Management System (VMS). Typically, the ship will operate with just three watchstanders and one roving patrol to monitor and configure engineering systems. This reduced manning will be supported by a level of automation and sophisticated monitoring of systems and equipment previously absent on U.S. Navy ships.

and as far as the new english boats I hope you guys keep making them because all the news I have been reading Russia, China, India are building a long list of new NUC boats

Russia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLvKQfY79h0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLvKQfY79h0)
China
http://www.fas.org/blog/ssp/2007/05/pentagon_publishes_annual_chin_1.php (http://www.fas.org/blog/ssp/2007/05/pentagon_publishes_annual_chin_1.php)
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/bd6cffaa-0a61-11dc-93ae-000b5df10621.html (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/bd6cffaa-0a61-11dc-93ae-000b5df10621.html)
India
http://www.india-defence.com/reports-3240 (http://www.india-defence.com/reports-3240)
http://www.domain-b.com/aero/20070519_admiral.htm (http://www.domain-b.com/aero/20070519_admiral.htm)
Even Disneyland Launching new sub.. OMG
http://www.disneylandreport.com/disneynews/070525-disneyland-finding-nemo-submarine-voyage-ceremony.html (http://www.disneylandreport.com/disneynews/070525-disneyland-finding-nemo-submarine-voyage-ceremony.html)

[Captain Davies]

HA HA HA! Whew to that! I am happy to see a new sub coming out of the UK. It certainly is a head turner and I am sure she will be a damn good ship.

What happened to the Narwhals  class vessels (I think that is the name of the Missile sub last built in the UK which had a similar design style.)?

Well I did some looking and there does not appear to be a Narwhal Class submarine but there was a HMS Narwhal and a USS Narwhal (both subs).  The HMS Narwhal was a Porpois Class submarine launched in 1958 for use by the Royal Navy. 

She was so difficult to detect (following some alterations) at the time that she once surfaced right next to the Statue of Liberty without ever being picked up by American listening stations. 

The last of the Porpois Class submarines were decomissoned in 1980 simply for being too out of date.  I don't think she was the last missile sub to be developed by us, it would be shameful if she was.  The USS Nharwal appears to be a WWII vessel.

Here's the link for more info on the Porpoois Class:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Porpoise_class_submarine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Porpoise_class_submarine)

That is okay. The new Enterprise class, which is to surpass the Nimitz, we were supposed to have by 2010 and now we here she is scrapped as well. No new carriers on either side of the pond I guess.

Well that's ok for you, you have several reasonably capable carriers anyway, but our idiotic governmet has left us with three converted helicopter carriers, capable of carrying only a few Harriers, and even those don't have long left!  We were almost left without carriers before the Falklands conflict and our government regretted not having them then.  Now they are going to do it again!  They're not willing to do this but they are willing to spend a fortune on a replacement for Trident!

[Stuart2007]

IS there any truth to the story that a USS Navy ship was left powerless for a couple of hours after its computers crashed and wouldnt reboot?

I doubt the part of the story that they were based on MS windows is true anyway. Ive been on trains where the doors won't open because the computer thinks it isn't in a station, but a warship shutting down???

Stu

[AriesDW]

Well I did some looking and there does not appear to be a Narwhal Class submarine but there was a HMS Narwhal and a USS Narwhal (both subs).  The HMS Narwhal was a Porpois Class submarine launched in 1958 for use by the Royal Navy. 

She was so difficult to detect (following some alterations) at the time that she once surfaced right next to the Statue of Liberty without ever being picked up by American listening stations. 

The last of the Porpois Class submarines were decomissoned in 1980 simply for being too out of date.  I don't think she was the last missile sub to be developed by us, it would be shameful if she was.  The USS Nharwal appears to be a WWII vessel.

Here's the link for more info on the Porpoois Class:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Porpoise_class_submarine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Porpoise_class_submarine)

Well that's ok for you, you have several reasonably capable carriers anyway, but our idiotic governmet has left us with three converted helicopter carriers, capable of carrying only a few Harriers, and even those don't have long left!  We were almost left without carriers before the Falklands conflict and our government regretted not having them then.  Now they are going to do it again!  They're not willing to do this but they are willing to spend a fortune on a replacement for Trident!

Then what is the name of the Missile sub that looks similar to this design?