new UK Nuclear submarine joins the Royal Navy

[hedgehog]

SHe is also the first submarine named Astute to be commissioned in a year ending in 10

Its also the only submarine in the world that has banned Wii's and Play stations

only allowing X Boxes because they operate ona different frequency to its back up sonar.

Also for some reason each crew member has a face book account IOT keep in contact with their

freinds and families- face book opened up a new type of delivery and receipt system

to allow for burst transmissions-

Vegatarians are not allowed serve on HMS Astute.

Astute's crew of 98 are fed by five chefs who, on an average patrol, will serve up 18,000 sausages and 4,200 weetabix for breakfast

That works out at 183 sausages per person

and 42.86 wheetabix per person

thats one big breakfast.


Or you can look at it this way 2 sausagess per day = 91 days

so in reality the sub can only stay down for 91 days

[Victor]

her world-beating sonar system has a range of 3,000 nautical miles (5,500km).

Not sure about that.

*She could theoretically remain submerged for her 25-year life, if it were not for the need to restock the crew's food supplies.

Spares? Ammo?

*Her cabling and pipework would stretch from Glasgow to Dundee.

Not actually a whole lot.

[Orion]

Left Barrow with much fanfare last Nov for sea trials. Big boost for the local economy and of course the RN.

What's left of UK heavy industry relies on defence orders, lets hope it continues.

According to regional news at the time the local community were a bit nervous about the reactor being fired up for the first time in dock. Haven't a clue why

[RoyalGreenJacket]

The UK's most powerful attack submarine, HMS Astute, has been welcomed into the Royal Navy today in a commissioning ceremony .



HMS Astute, which officially becomes 'Her Majesty's Ship' today, is quieter than any of her predecessors, meaning she has the ability to operate covertly and remain undetected in almost all circumstances despite being fifty per cent bigger than any attack submarine in the Royal Navy's current fleet.

The latest nuclear-powered technology means she will never need to be refuelled and can circumnavigate the world submerged, manufacturing the crew's oxygen from seawater as she goes.

The submarine has the capacity to carry a mix of up to 38 Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes and Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles, and can target enemy submarines, surface ships and land targets with pinpoint accuracy, while her world-beating sonar system has a range of 3,000 nautical miles (5,500km).

About HMS Astute

*She never needs to be refueled.
*She manufactures her own oxygen from seawater as well as her own drinking water.
*She could theoretically remain submerged for her 25-year life, if it were not for the need to restock the crew's food supplies.
*She is 97 metres from bow to stern.
*She has a beam of 11.2 metres.
*She displaces 7,400 tonnes of seawater.
*Her cabling and pipework would stretch from Glasgow to Dundee.
She is the first Royal Navy submarine not to have a traditional periscope, instead using electro-optics to capture a 360-degree image of the surface for subsequent analysis by the commanding officer.
*Astute is the first submarine to have an individual bunk for each crew member.
*She is faster under the water than she is on the surface - capable of speeds in excess of 20 knots (37km/h), although her top speed is classified.
*Astute's crew of 98 are fed by five chefs who, on an average patrol, will serve up 18,000 sausages and 4,200 weetabix for breakfast.

Read more here: www - HMS Astute

impressive bit of kit!