HMS Agamemnon (S124) Begins Sea-Trials After a 13-Year Build

The sixth Royal Navy vessel to bear the name Agamemnon and the sixth Astute-class nuclear-powered attack submarine left BAE Systems’ Barrow-in-Furness shipyard this week, heading for His Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde. The boat’s keel was laid on July 18, 2013 with an original service entry target of 2022, but the launch has been delayed by more than a decade. Current plans call for the submarine to enter active service in 2027.

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Construction of S124 encountered a series of industrial bottlenecks. The global pandemic disrupted supply chains and labor availability, while the Royal Navy redirected skilled workers to the newer Dreadnought-class ballistic-missile submarines. The United Kingdom’s post-Cold-War erosion of specialist submarine-building expertise further limited the pool of qualified personnel. The vessel was rolled out of Devonshire Dock Hall in October 2024 and lowered into the water for the first time a year later. King Charles III visited the Royal Port of Barrow in 2025 to observe the commissioning of the Astute fleet, marking his first visit since the port received “Royal” status that March.

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Astute-class submarines are equipped with world-leading sensors, Tomahawk Block IV cruise missiles, and Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes. Each hull carries more than 39,000 acoustic tiles that mask sonar signatures, producing only a faint “baby-dolphin” noise. The class forgoes a traditional optical periscope, using high-specification video systems to provide a 360-degree horizon view. Weapons stowage accommodates up to 38 missiles and torpedoes, and a dry-deck shelter enables deployment of Royal Marine Commandos or Special Boat Service operators while submerged. The submarine can circumnavigate the globe underwater, generating its own oxygen and drinking water.

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The Royal Navy has a long tradition of naming ships after Greek heroes, reflecting an 18th-century admiration for classical antiquity. Six previous vessels named HMS Agamemnon have served, including a 64-gun ship-of-the-line that fought at Trafalgar in 1805 and a Lord Nelson-class battleship active in the First World War’s Dardanelles Campaign. The practice, originally borrowed from French spellings, underscores the enduring cultural reverence for the Trojan War—a seaborne conflict that resonated with Britain’s naval heritage.

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