Construction begins on fifth UK Navy Astute Submarine

Construction on the UK Royal Navy’s fifth of seven next-generation nuclear submarines, HMS Anson, has officially begun with a traditional keel-laying ceremony at the BAE Systems yard in Barrow, UK.

The 97m-long Anson, fuelled by a nuclear reactor, has a displacement capacity of 7,400t, and is being built to replace the Trafalgar Class submarines.

The submarine will be armed with a mix of Spearfish torpedoes and Tomahawk land attack missiles.

The keel is a large beam around which the hull is built, and is the first part to be constructed for the submarine.