HMS Astute

HMS Agamemnon, a 7,400-tonne, 97-metre long attack vessel, undertook her maiden journey, which began by transversing BAE Systems' shipyard dock system to reach the Walney Channel and on into the Irish Sea.

HMS Agamemnon will now undertake sea trials before joining fellow hunter-killer submarines HMS Astute, HMS Ambush, HMS Artful, HMS Audacious and HMS Anson in operational service with the Royal Navy.

Steve Timms, Managing Director of BAE Systems' submarines business, said the Astute-class submarines are equipped with the latest technologies to silently circumnavigate the globe without servicing, while fulfilling a range of tactical roles for the Royal Navy.

The departure of HMS Agamemnon, the sixth of the seven such submarines that we are building here in Barrow, demonstrates the growing momentum underpinning our submarines business and is a proud moment for everyone involved across the UK's submarine enterprise.