The package covers the fourth production phase of the largest British submarine construction programme in a generation. It will fund the completion of HMS Dreadnought’s sea trials and the lead boat’s entry into Royal Navy service.
The investment will also take the second submarine, HMS Valiant, through construction and towards the start of sea trials. Work will continue on the third and fourth boats, HMS Warspite and King George VI.
The four Dreadnought-class submarines will replace the Royal Navy’s Vanguard-class fleet. The oldest Vanguard submarine is 33 years old, while the youngest has served for 27 years.
Each Dreadnought will displace more than 17,000 tonnes, measure over 500 feet and carry a crew of around 130. The new boats will be slightly larger than the submarines they replace.
The class will assume responsibility for Operation Relentless, Britain’s continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent mission. Royal Navy submariners have maintained uninterrupted deterrent patrols since 1969.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced the funding during a visit to BAE Systems’ submarine facility in Barrow. He was joined by Defence Secretary Wes Streeting and met employees involved in assembling the new boats.
“Keeping this country safe is the first responsibility of any government – but security is not only about what we build, it is about who builds it, and who benefits from it,” Mr Burnham said. “The submarines produced in Barrow will protect Britain for decades to come, and the 47,000 jobs and apprenticeships will change lives both in this town and in dozens of places like it.”
The UK’s Defence Nuclear Enterprise currently supports around 47,000 jobs nationwide. More than a quarter are based in Barrow, where 1,800 jobs have been created during the past two years.
The enterprise also supports about 8,000 jobs at Devonport, where nuclear submarines undergo refits. A further 5,000 jobs are based at Faslane, the home of the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarine fleet.
Employment linked to maintaining existing submarines and constructing their replacements is expected to reach 65,000 by 2030. The programme is also projected to support around 22,000 apprenticeships by 2035.
Britain’s nuclear submarine enterprise draws on a supply chain of more than 6,000 UK-based companies. BAE Systems has increased productivity on the Dreadnought programme by 40% over the past three years.
