$1.5M Attack Submarine HMS Anson Joins the Royal Navy Fleet; Nuclear-Powered Vessel Specs Revealed

The world's most technologically advanced hunter-killer submarine has joined the fleet of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom.

According to Newsweek, the submarine was welcomed at Barrow, England at a ceremony on Wednesday.

The £1.3 billion ($1.5 billion) HMS Anson is advertised as having superior naval stealth and striking capability. It can also gather crucial intelligence, defend other Royal Navy ships from dangers above and below the waters, and precisely destroy enemy military installations.

About Nuclear-Powered' Hunter-Killer' Submarine

The ship underwent testing in February 2021 and went into service the same month.

The submarine will join HMS Astute, HMS Ambush, HMS Artful, and HMS Audacious in completing the navy's fleet of assault boats.

The navy should finish seven Astute-class submarines by 2026.

The commanding officer of HMS Anson, Cmdr. David Crosby noted that despite the two and a half years of work and expertise put into creating the submarine, the limitations brought on by the pandemic made it difficult.

"Given the world we live in, there is no more important tool in the United Kingdom's arsenal: silent, unseen, and a key instrument of our global, modern, ready Royal Navy," First Sea Lord Adm. Sir Ben Key said per Defense Post.

"The Royal Navy's nuclear submarines: protecting critical national infrastructure, securing the nuclear deterrent, and ready to deliver firepower against those who would do us harm," Key added.

Before being sent to HM Naval Base Clyde in Faslane for the planning of the sea trial, the submarine will stay in the Barrow yard for a few more weeks to complete its last testing and modifications.

On August 31, navy officials, "sponsor (patron)" Julie Weale, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, United Kingdom Secretary of State for Defense Ben Wallace, and United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson attended the commissioning ceremony.

Nuclear-Powered 'Hunter-Killer' Submarine Specs

HMS Anson is fully suited to destroy enemy military facilities on land and at sea and can travel at speeds of over 30 knots.

With a length of 318 feet (97 meters), it offers enough for every 98 members of the crew to have their own bed and area.

The yacht won't require refueling throughout its 25-year service life thanks to the Rolls Royce nuclear reactor on board.

Its duration underwater will only be constrained by the amount of food on board because it can also cleanse water and air, so it may go around the world without coming to the surface.

The 7,800-tonne watercraft, which has been labeled more sophisticated than the International Space Station, required over 20 million hours of labor spread over 11 years to prepare for action.

Anson was given the name Admiral George Anson in honor of the 18th-century Royal Navy officer who commanded a victory against the French at Cape Finisterre in 1747 on a four-year trip around the world.

A bottle of cider was smashed against the hull at the naming ceremony in December 2020 because Admiral Anson recommended the beverage as a scurvy treatment.

Check out more news and information on Technology in Science Times.