Navy
First Successor Submarine To Be Named HMS Dreadnought
The first of the Royal Navy's new fleet of submarines is to be named HMS Dreadnought. As well as the moniker for the lead boat, Dreadnought will also be the class name for the four vessels which are planned to enter service in the 2030s.
Having sought approval for the name from Her Majesty The Queen the Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: "Every day our ballistic missile submarines are used to deter the most extreme threats to Britain's security."
"We cannot know what dangers we might face in the 2030s, 2040s and 2050s, so we are building the new Dreadnought class"
"Along with increasing the defence budget to buy new ships, more planes, and armoured vehicles, this commitment shows we will never gamble with our security."
Nine Royal Navy ships have borne the name Dreadnought, meaning 'fears nothing', including Britain’s first nuclear-powered submarine which was launched 56 years ago. That particular boat remains afloat, 36 years after being retired. Work to dismantle it won't begin for another 5 years until a safe site to store contaminated materials can be built.
Perhaps the most famous Dreadnought was the eighth one to slid down the slipway. Launched in 1906 No.8 was so technologically advanced that she rendered every other warship in the world's navies obsolete. Sparking something of a naval arms race by 1921 things had progressed so fast that she was sold for scrap.
Work on the new vessels, which will carry the UK's nuclear deterrent after the retirement of the Vanguard submarine fleet, is already underway in Barrow-in-Furness with the first steel of the £41 billion programme having been cut at the start of October.
Even though the final design is not yet complete it's known that the boats will be 152.9m (501ft) long, three metres longer than the Vanguard class, and will displace 1,300 more tonnes.
For the crew there'll be separate quarters for femaile sailors, a dedicated gym compartment, a study area and a lighting system that will imitate night and day - making it easier for the crew to get used to normal life after three months underwater.
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