HMS Astute (S119)
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HMS ''Astute'' is an operational
nuclear-powered Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced b ...
attack
submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...
in the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
, the
lead boat The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships that are all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very complex ...
of her class. ''Astute'' is the second submarine of the Royal Navy to be named after the characteristic of shrewdness and discernment—the first was the
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
-era . She was the largest attack submarine in Royal Navy history when commissioned in 2010.


Design

Built as a successor to the , ''Astute'' is 50% larger than the T-boats but has a smaller crew. The 7,400-tonne ''Astute''s nuclear reactor will not need to be refuelled during the vessel's 25-year service. Since the submarine can purify water and air, she is able to circumnavigate the planet without resurfacing. The main limit is that the submarine can only carry three months' supply of food for 98 crew. ''Astute'' has stowage for 38 weapons and was expected to typically carry both Spearfish heavy torpedoes and
Tomahawk A tomahawk is a type of single-handed axe used by the many Native Americans in the United States, Indian peoples and nations of North America, traditionally resembles a hatchet with a straight shaft. Etymology The name comes from Powhatan langu ...
Block IV cruise missiles, the latter costing £870,000 each.


Construction and launch

''Astute'' was ordered from GEC's Marconi Marine (now
BAE Systems Submarines BAE Systems Submarines,BAE Systems Submarine Solutions was split out from BAE Systems Marine and operated as such until January 2012. It was named BAE Systems Maritime - Submarines until 2017 before it became BAE Systems Submarines. is a whol ...
) on 17 March 1997. She was
laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...
at BAE's submarine facility in
Barrow-in-Furness Barrow-in-Furness is a port town and civil parish (as just "Barrow") in the Westmorland and Furness district of Cumbria, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the county of Lancashire, it was incorporated as a municipal borou ...
on 31 January 2001, 100 years to the day after the
keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...
was laid down for the Royal Navy's first submarine . She was the first submarine built in the UK since HMS ''Vengeance'' (launched in 1998). ''Astute'' was launched on 8 June 2007 by the then
Duchess of Cornwall The Duchess of Cornwall is a title held by the wife of the heir apparent to the British throne. The Duchess of Cornwall is usually also the Princess of Wales, and she uses that title. The current title-holder is Catherine, Princess of Wales, Ca ...
, 43 months behind schedule. The launch attracted more than 10,000 spectators. Her builders BAE Systems described her as "the largest and most able attack submarine that the Royal Navy has operated, with a performance to rival any in the world". ''Astute'' left Barrow on 15 November 2009 and on 20 November 2009, arrived at her home port of
HMNB Clyde His Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde (HMNB Clyde; also HMS ''Neptune''), primarily sited at Faslane on the Gare Loch, is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Devonport and HMNB Portsmouth). It ...
at
Faslane His Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde (HMNB Clyde; also HMS ''Neptune''), primarily sited at Faslane on the Gare Loch, is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Devonport and HMNB Portsmouth). It ...
.


Sea trials and commission

On 16 February 2010 ''Astute'' left Faslane for sea trials and dived for the first time on 18 February 2010. HMS ''Astute'' was commissioned on 27 August 2010, when she was given her HMS prefix, in a ceremony watched over by her patron the Duchess of Cornwall. She was delivered to the Royal Navy on 18 July 2013 and at that time was reported to be, "nearing the end of her sea trials." In reality, the Royal Navy declared ''Astute'' to be fully operational in May 2014, some 13 years after being laid down.


Operational history


Aground on Skye

On 22 October 2010, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that ''Astute'' had "run into difficulties" off the Isle of
Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye, is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some o ...
while on trials, after eyewitnesses reported that she had run aground a few miles from the
Skye Bridge The Skye Bridge () is a road bridge over Loch Alsh, Scotland, connecting the Isle of Skye to the island of Eilean Bàn. The name is also used for the whole Skye Crossing, which further connects Eilean Bàn to the mainland across the Carrich V ...
. There were no reports of injuries. The captain of the vessel elected to wait for tugboat assistance rather than using the submarine's own power to clear the stern from the obstruction, to minimise damage to the hull's
anechoic tile __NOTOC__ Anechoic tiles are rubber or synthetic polymer tiles containing thousands of tiny voids, applied to the outer hulls of military ships and submarines, as well as anechoic chambers. Their function is twofold: *To absorb the sound waves ...
s. A Royal Navy spokesman said that the vessel had been grounded on silt and was re-floated at high tide. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency-chartered emergency tow vessel ''Anglian Prince'' was dispatched to the scene from
Stornoway Stornoway (; ) is the main town, and by far the largest, of the Outer Hebrides (or Western Isles), and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it the third-largest island town in Scotlan ...
. The submarine returned under her own power to Faslane, where the damage was described as minor. A service inquiry concluded that the main cause of the grounding was not following navigation procedures combined with the watch officer not appreciating the proximity of danger. On 27 October 2010, the Royal Navy announced that Commander Andy Coles had been relieved of his command of ''Astute''. Commander Iain Breckenridge previously commanded the submarine , and the Navy announced in December 2010 that he would take command. ''Astute'' had to return to port for repairs on 11 December 2010, on her first day back at sea after the grounding incident, due to a problem with her steam plant.


2011 fatal shooting

On 8 April 2011, one naval officer was killed and another injured in a shooting on board ''Astute'' while berthed at
Southampton Docks The Port of Southampton is a passenger and cargo port in the central part of the south coast of England. The modern era in the history of the Port of Southampton began when the first dock was inaugurated in 1843. After the Port of Felixstowe, ...
. Southampton City Council's leader, chief executive, and mayor were on board at the time. During a changeover of armed guards, 22-year old Able Seaman Ryan Donovan opened fire with an
SA80 The SA80 (Small Arms for the 1980s) is a British family of 5.56×45mm NATO service weapons used by the British Army. The L85 Rifle variant has been the standard issue service rifle of the British Armed Forces since 1987, replacing the L1A1 Sel ...
assault rifle in the submarine's control room, hitting two officers before being overpowered by Southampton Council's leader Royston Smith (a former RAF flight engineer), and chief executive Alistair Neill. In the 48 hours before going on guard duty, Donovan had drunk 20
pint The pint (, ; symbol pt, sometimes abbreviated as ''p'') is a unit of volume or capacity in both the imperial and United States customary measurement systems. In both of those systems, it is one-eighth of a gallon. The British imperial pint ...
s of cider and lager, as well as cocktails and double vodkas, leaving him well beyond the drink-drive limit when on duty. Heavy drinking before duties was common practice amongst the crew. According to Smith: Lieutenant Commander Ian Molyneux, ''Astute''s weapons engineering officer, was killed. Donovan was arrested by Hampshire Constabulary officers and was charged with the murder of Molyneux and the attempted murder of Petty Officer Christopher Brown, Chief Petty Officer David McCoy, and Lieutenant Commander Christopher Hodge. He admitted to the murder of Molyneux and three counts of attempted murder; he was sentenced at Winchester Court on 19 September 2011 to life imprisonment and must serve a minimum of 25 years. On 23 March 2012, Ian Molyneux, Royston Smith, and Alistair Neill were awarded the
George Medal The George Medal (GM), instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI,''British Gallantry Medals'' (Abbott and Tamplin), p. 138 is a decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for gallantry, typically ...
for gallantry. Molyneux's widow received the
Elizabeth Cross The Elizabeth Cross is a form of recognition given to the recognised next of kin of members of the British Armed Forces who have died on operations, or as a result of an act of terrorism since 1 January 1948, after the Second World War. It bear ...
in April 2013.


Weapons trials

Starting in late 2011, she began a 5-month stay at the US Navy's Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) in the Bahamas, in which she fired Spearfish torpedoes and Tomahawk missiles. ''Astute'' launched two Tomahawks, the first missile on 15 November 2011. They were the Royal Navy's ninth and tenth Tomahawk flight tests. In February 2012, ''Astute'' rendezvoused with the underwater in the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center for a series of war games. Present were the head of the Royal Navy, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope and the head of the United States Navy, Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert. It was reported that ''Astute'' "surpassed expectations" and that the Americans were "taken aback" by ''Astute''s capabilities. ''Astute'' had been expected to conduct her first operational deployment in 2013.


First of class issues

In November 2012 ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' reported that there had been a serious leak that caused an emergency surfacing because a cap for a pipe was made of the wrong metal, even though the inventory claimed proper checks had been made, that there were problems with reactor monitoring instruments because the wrong grade of lead was used, and circuit boards had not been correctly fitted. The Ministry of Defence and
BAE Systems BAE Systems plc is a British Multinational corporation, multinational Aerospace industry, aerospace, military technology, military and information security company, based in London. It is the largest manufacturer in Britain as of 2017. It is ...
confirmed the problems were being worked on. An MoD spokesman said "It is normal for first of class trials to identify areas where modifications are required and these are then incorporated into later vessels of the class."


Maiden deployment

''Astute'' departed Faslane on her maiden deployment at the beginning of 2014, spending eight months abroad. Her deployment included an attached
dry deck shelter A dry deck shelter (DDS) is a removable module that can be attached to a submarine to allow divers easy exit and entrance while the boat is submerged. The host submarine must be specially modified to accommodate the DDS, with the appropriate matin ...
aft of the sail, possibly for an SBS troop deployment. ''Astute'' returned to Faslane in October 2014.


Upgrade and return to operations

Following her return to Faslane, ''Astute'' began a two-year major capability upgrade and sea training period. Her training saw her working with a Canadian
maritime patrol aircraft A maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), also known as a patrol aircraft, maritime reconnaissance aircraft, maritime surveillance aircraft, or by the older American term patrol bomber, is a fixed-wing aircraft designed to operate for long durations over ...
and a NATO submarine in a simulated war environment. Having successfully completed this, ''Astute'' was once again declared ready for operations. In November 2018, ''Astute'' took part in anti-submarine warfare exercises alongside
Type 23 frigate The Type 23 frigate or Duke class is a class of frigates built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The ships are named after British Dukes, thus leading to the class being commonly known as the Duke class. The first Type 23, , was commission ...
in an undisclosed Scottish
loch ''Loch'' ( ) is a word meaning "lake" or "inlet, sea inlet" in Scottish Gaelic, Scottish and Irish Gaelic, subsequently borrowed into English. In Irish contexts, it often appears in the anglicized form "lough". A small loch is sometimes calle ...
. In 2025, HMS ''Astute'' was initially reported to have joined the Royal Navy's
carrier strike group A carrier strike group (CSG) is a type of carrier battle group of the United States Navy. It is an operational formation composed of roughly 7,500 personnel, usually an aircraft carrier, at least one cruiser, a destroyer Squadron (naval), squad ...
as a participant in Operation HIGHMAST, the Royal Navy's deployment to the Indo-Pacific region. However the submarine was reported to have returned to the U.K. in June meaning that another submarine from her class was possibly deployed with the task group.


References


External links


Royal Navy HMS ''Astute''
(royalnavy.mod.uk) {{DEFAULTSORT:Astute (S119) Astute-class submarines Ships built in Barrow-in-Furness 2007 ships Maritime incidents in 2010 Maritime incidents in 2011 2010 in Scotland Isle of Skye History of the Scottish Highlands Submarines of the United Kingdom