The Dreadnought programme has rounded off a momentous year with a flurry of activity in the last few weeks of 2022.
The team delivering the new Dreadnought class submarines reached a significant goal on 30 November – the first pressure hull unit for Boat 1 was transported to the Devonshire Dock Hall at the BAE Systems site in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, for outfitting before being integrated into the finished boat.
This was rapidly followed by Unit F of Boat 1 moving from the site's Central Yard Facility to the Devonshire Dock Hall on 14 December; which enabled Boat 1 Aft End Construction to move from the New Assembly Shop to the Central Yard on 15 December.
This latest progress in the complex build programme emphasises the Dreadnought Alliance's commitment to deliver the first Dreadnought boat ready for patrol in the early 2030s.
Earlier in 2022, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) awarded defence contracts worth more than £2 billion to BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce to begin Delivery Phase Three (DP3), the next and most significant phase of the future submarine nuclear deterrent programme – Dreadnought.
DP3 will see the first of Class, HMS Dreadnought, exit the Barrow-in-Furness shipyard to begin sea trials and will lay the foundation to deliver the remaining three Dreadnought boats to time and cost.
It is estimated that at its peak, the Dreadnought programme will support almost 30,000 jobs across the UK. In 2021 alone, it supported around 13,500 jobs in the Northwest of England and a further 16,300 over the rest of the UK, making a significant contribution to the Government's levelling-up agenda.
The Dreadnought Class will be one of the most complex machines ever built and it will operate in one of the most hostile environments on the planet. As the largest Class of submarine ever built for the Royal Navy, each will boast 26.4 miles of pipework and more than 20,000 cables stretching 215 miles – further than traveling between London and Leeds.
The four Dreadnought-Class submarines, each the length of three Olympic swimming pools, will maintain the Continuous at Sea Deterrent (CASD), responsible for safeguarding our national security and way of life, for as long as the international security situation makes it necessary. The Dreadnought programme is a truly incredible national endeavour.
