Ambush leaves for sea trials

The second Astute class submarine Ambush has set sail from BAE Systems to begin sea trials with the UK Royal Navy.

The 7,400 tonne attack submarine left the site in Barrow-in-Furness on Saturday September 15 for Her Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde, Faslane, which will become its operational base. This major milestone in the submarine programme is the point at which Ambush will begin to test its range of capabilities, under the control of Ambush Commanding Officer, Commander Peter Green and his crew.

Read more about an incredible day for Ambush and her crew...

Hundreds looked on as the Royal Navy’s most advanced attack submarine Ambush set sail for Her Majesty’s Naval Base in Faslane, Scotland.

Take a look at a video of this monster move.
 

In the twilight hours of an autumnal morning, Ambush prepared to depart Devonshire Dock in Barrow. She moved through the dock system flanked by tug boats and waved off by hundreds of well wishers from the local community.

Moving under her own power she left the docks at around 11:30am into open water to begin her sea trials with the Royal Navy who will be her custodian for the next 30 years.

Over the next year she will be put through her paces in a rigorous testing programme and regime of inspections, certification and assessment to prove she is ready for operational deployment. Once commissioned into the Royal Navy she will become known as HMS Ambush and fly the white ensign for the first time as a fully commissioned warship.

View images as a slideshow...

Produced by Mike Vallance

An incredible time-lapse sequence of over 400 images showing Ambush making her way through Ramsden Dock before heading out in to open water.

Through design, build, test and commissioning, Ambush is the culmination of years of dedication and hard work from a highly skilled work force. Many of whom looked on as she departed for sea trials on Saturday 15 September 2012.

Barrow-in-Furness has a long and proud history of world class shipbuilding. As the second of the Astute class submarines leaves, the proud BAE Systems work force share their thoughts on the important milestone.
 

Click here to view a slideshow of images from Ambush's time in Barrow through various stages of her construction from first cut steel in 2001 to her keel laying ceremony two years later to her launch in 2010 when she was lowered into the water for the first time.

Ambush, the most advanced hunter-killer submarine ever produced for the Royal Navy, is at the cutting edge of submarine design and manufacture. She is 97 metres long, weighs 7,400 tonnes and is capable of circumnavigating the globe without the need to surface and limited only by food storage capacity. Able to deploy rapidly, the second Astute class submarine is powered by a nuclear reactor that can run for her 25 year lifespan without refueling.

(Photos by Mike Vallance)