Audacious sets out for home base
HMS Audacious, the fourth of seven Astute-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) for the Royal Navy, departed the BAE Systems facility at Barrow-in-Furness on 6 April, en route to Naval Base Clyde.
Restrictions related to the COVID-19 coronavirus meant that only a few BAE Systems employees supported the departure.
The first three boats in the Astute class (HMS Astute, HMS Ambush and HMS Artful) are already in service.
Due to replace the ageing Trafalgar-class SSNs, each Astute boat is 97m long and displaces 7,400t, with a maximum speed of more than 30kt.
Audacious will undergo sea trials before an expected handover in January 2021. All seven submarines are due to be delivered by the end of 2026.
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