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Press release Sixth powerful attack submarine departs Barrow-in-Furness for sea trials

UK and Euro-Atlantic security will soon be boosted, as the Royal Navy’s sixth powerful attack submarine departs from Barrow-in-Furness. 

From: Ministry of Defence and Defence Nuclear Enterprise

Published: 25 September 2026HMS Agamemnon at Barrow-in-Furness Latest Astute Class submarine, HMS Agamemnon has sailed from the BAE Systems shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness.

She will now undergo sea trials - a major step towards delivering the highly capable attack submarine to bolster security for the UK and the Euro-Atlantic.

The UK’s submarine industrial base is benefitting from £6 billion of Government investment over the Spending Review period and sustains thousands of jobs.

The newest Royal Navy conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarine, HMS Agamemnon and nicknamed ‘Awesome Aggie’, will now begin sea trials - a period of testing ahead of joining active service with the Royal Navy. 

The Astute Class are the largest, most advanced and most powerful attack submarines ever operated by the Royal Navy. Weighing 7,400 tonnes and at 97 metres long, they are just short of the length of two Olympic swimming pools. Powered by a Rolls-Royce Submarines nuclear reactor, produced in Derby in the Midlands, the submarine will not need to refuel for the duration of her service life. 

The submarine’s high-tech capabilities include stealthy precision strike, anti-submarine warfare, and intelligence gathering. HMS Agamemnon will be armed with heavyweight Spearfish torpedoes and Tomahawk IV land attack missiles, able to strike targets at a range of more than 1,000 miles. 

Alongside their role supporting the continuous at sea deterrent, Astute-class submarines are also involved in protecting maritime task groups and providing support to UK, NATO and coalition operations.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said:

Having seen first-hand the dedication and pride of the workforce in Barrow, and that of the thousands of people who work across our submarine supply chain in the United Kingdom, I know how much this milestone will mean to each and every one of them.

As one of the most advanced submarines ever built, HMS Agamemnon will play a major role in further boosting our security here at home and across NATO.

Defence Secretary, Wes Streeting MP said:

Deterrence is the bedrock of our national security. Another formidable attack submarine going to sea strengthens that deterrence and demonstrates how we are stepping up to meet the threats of a more dangerous world.

I’ve been on board HMS Agamemnon and met her submariners and the skilled workers who delivered this incredible feat of engineering. It’s a powerful reminder of how strengthening our defence creates good jobs, opens up opportunity, and reindustrialises our country.

DORAL, Florida - As part of its ongoing commitment to regional security and crisis response, U.S. Southern Command established a Combined Humanitarian Coordination Center (CHCC) at its headquarters in Doral, Florida.

The newly formed center served as a hub for U.S. military disaster relief efforts across Latin America and the Caribbean. Operating on an unclassified network, the cell provided a single location where allied and partner nations, alongside interagency partners, could synchronize humanitarian assistance efforts to improve shared situational awareness and accelerate life-saving assistance.

Since the area of responsibility that SOUTHCOM operates within is highly susceptible to natural disasters, such as devastating hurricanes and major seismic events, rapid response is critical. The Coordination Center aimed to shave vital hours off the mobilization process by having international planning, operations, and logistics experts co-located in a single workspace, all looking at the same common operational picture, said Dennis Turner, SOUTHCOM future operations planner.

“The greatest value of the coordination center proved to be the reduction of the time between identifying a humanitarian need and connecting it with an organization capable of meeting that need,” added Turner. “By bringing military, diplomatic, international, and partner nation representatives together in one place with a common operating picture, we were able to shorten decision cycles, reduce duplication of effort, and improve the delivery of life-saving assistance.”

Historically, U.S. military disaster relief operations, operating in support of the Department of State, the lead federal agency, require complex logistical orchestration. By standing up this dedicated coordination center, SOUTHCOM was able to build the infrastructure required to respond rapidly to humanitarian crises.

The cell is designed to coordinate critical logistics like airfield management and the delivery of vital supplies. During its activation for the recent humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operation, it demonstrated the value of leveraging advanced analytics to stay ahead of the crisis.

“The CHCC enabled participating nations to rapidly exchange information regarding available capabilities, transportation requirements, and evolving humanitarian needs,” said Col. Lorenzo Cabrera, Paraguay’s foreign liaison officer assigned to SOUTHCOM.

Beyond active crisis response, the center prioritized day-to-day preparedness and relationship-building among partner nations. A core component of this operational model was the creation of a "marketplace," a platform where partner nations could transparently highlight their contributions in relief and assistance efforts, ensuring effective multinational cooperation, said Turner.

“The integrated work in the CHCC with partner nations was a true joint and combined effort, allowing us to maintain a clear, shared picture of the situation in the emergency zone,” said Col. Christian Acosta, the Argentina foreign liaison officer assigned to SOUTHCOM.

By promoting continuous dialogue, shared platforms, and joint planning, the CHCC ensures that when U.S. service members are called upon to deliver critical relief, the mission is executed safely and efficiently, reinforcing SOUTHCOM’s role as the trusted partner for Caribbean, Central, and South American forces.