NAVY NEWS, JUNE 2010

Power and performance

● HMS Astute blows her tanks as she starts a deep dive during trials off the north-west coast of Scotland, as seen from her escort vessel, Type 23 frigate HMS Richmond

A COUPLE of months ago we brought you pictures of HMS Astute’s

were right up there, though in truth the February gloom in Scotland and necessary distance between boat and chaperone (HMS Montrose in this case) meant the detail suffered a little. Shift the whole thing to late April, substitute one Type 23 for another and let the boat prove her power as well as her diving capability.

vessel for the latest round of trials for Astute, during which the nuclear boat tested her deep dive capability, full power trials, the performance of her sonar arrays and communications system, her ability to conduct an emergency surface from depth.

That meant the frigate was on

The results can be seen above. HMS Richmond was the support

first dive.

In terms of news value the pictures

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hand in case of problems (which there weren’t), as well as monitoring the £1

performance. But she didn’t just keep a weather eye on the new submarine over the three days – she also had the role of ‘compliant target’, allowing Astute to test her sonar and communications equipment. And few on board will have been as pleased with Astute’s progress as the

billion hunter-killer submarine’s

frigate’s Commanding Officer, Cdr Mike Walliker – the CO of Astute when the boat was unveiled to the public in Barrow in the summer of 2007. “These

milestone in the process that will deliver an incredibly capable submarine to the Royal Navy,” said Cdr Walliker, who never got the chance to take Astute to sea.

trials have been an historic

“As her first Commanding Officer I am delighted to have been able to play a part in that process and to have witnessed her performing so well in her natural environment.”

north-west Scotland after an intensive period of operational sea training and a break over Easter.

Richmond sailed for the trial area

waters she returned to her home port of Portsmouth for a brief spell of maintenance before the next date in her diary. That, as Navy News went to press, was a visit to Cardiff to take part in 150th anniversary events celebrating Cadet forces, including opening her gangway to visitors for a day.

And following her stint in Scottish

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