inside
Rsubmarine
I
F you are lucky enough to have a design had always been to build it small, six torpedo tubes instead of five, and will a more complex engineering project than
very good attack submarine, then build making boats as compact and hard to be able to deploy a range of missiles and the Space Shuttle, and required some
one even bigger, more heavily-armed, detect as possible. torpedoes, including Tomahawk cruise 7,000 design drawings.
quieter and more efficient, the result Now the philosophy is bigger is better missiles, Spearfish torpedoes and mines. She has more than a million
would probably be something like the – cost savings in building and fitting out a But as the political map of the world component parts, and her sonar suite
Astute-class. larger hull, as well as in-life maintenance changes, these submarines have been has the processing power of 400 laptop
Initially developed from the Trafalgar- savings from easier access to on-board designed with a range of capabilities in computers – ten times that of existing
class attack submarine – the Astute project systems, means the Astute has ended mind. systems.
was originally referred to as the Batch 2 up 97 metres long and displacing 7,400 So, in addition to the traditional anti-ship And her Sonar 2076 will ensure that
Trafalgar class – the four boats ordered to tonnes when submerged. and anti-submarine tasks – the hunter- not only is she quiet, but she also has
date draw on their predecessors, and the The class is powered by a Rolls-Royce killer roles – Astute, Ambush, Artful and the ability to listen harder than any other
huge technological advances of recent pressurised water nuclear reactor, which Audacious will be able to undertake covert boats in the sea.
years. will not require refuelling during the operations, coastal and off-beach work, Astute and her sisters will have a patrol
The abiding principle in submarine planned service life of the submarine and intelligence gathering. endurance of more than 70 days, limited
– 25 years. When married to the latest digital only by the needs of the crew in terms of
That gives the boat a submerged speed technology, for both image-gathering food – the boats create fresh water and
in excess of 20 knots – she is faster and communications, the class will purifying the air when submerged.
underwater than on the surface. bring submarines into the heart of joint And her crew will be the first in the
Astute and the three other boats operations. Royal Navy to avoid the need for ‘hot
ordered to date have a weapons load 50 These vessels have no traditional bunking’ – one sailor moving into a bunk
HMS ASTUTE
per cent greater than the T-boats, with periscopes, instead relying on ‘non- when his oppo has vacated it to go on
penetrating optronics masts’, and will duty.
operate with a crew of just under 100, Each crew member has his own
compared to the T-boat, which is half the individual bunk, and there are 11 extra
size but has a crew of 115. bunks for visitors, passengers and sea
Astute represents a huge leap in riders.
technology. Five of the crew are responsible for
It is claimed by her builders that she is catering on board, and it is estimated
that on a typical ten-week patrol the
men of Astute would polish off, among
other things, 18,000 sausages and 4,200
Weetabix.
The Astute-class boats will be based
at Clyde Naval Base in Scotland, where
work is being undertaken to build a new
jetty for the class.
ulic actuators
33. Reactor section
34. Part of pressure hull
35. Forward airlock
winch
36. Air handling compartment
37. Waste management equipment
38. Conditioned air ducting
39. Galley
40. Forward section isolated deck mountings
59. Battery switchroom
41. Batteries
nd bearing
60. Control room consoles
42. Junior ratings’ mess
pes
61. Sonar operators’ consoles
43. RESM office
62. Senior ratings bunks
44. Commanding officer’s cabin
45. Port side communications office
63. Medical berth
t
46. Diesel exhaust mast
64. Weapons stowage and handling compart-
starboard
47. Snort induction mast
ment
48. SHF/EHF (NEST) mast
65. Sonar array
76. Air turbine pump
49. CESM mast
66. Maintenance workshop
77. No 2 main ballast tank
50. AZL radar mast
67. Sonar equipment room
78. High-pressure air bottles
51. Satcom mast
68. Forward hydroplane
79. Forward pressure dome
52. Integrated comms mast
69. Hydroplane hydraulic actuator
80. Weapons embarkation hatch
53. Visual mast – starboard
70. Hydroplane hinge mounting 81. Gemini craft stowage
eck mounting 54. Visual mast – port
71. Ship’s office 82. Hinged fairlead
55. Navigation mast
72. Junior ratings’ berths 83. Anchor windlass
56. Bridge fin access 73. Torpedo tubes 84. No 1 main ballast tank
57. Junior ratings’ bathroom 74. Water transfer tank 85. Anchor cable locker
58. Senior ratings’ bathroom 75. Torpedo tube bow caps 86. Bow sonar
AAstutecut_NN_July.indd 2stutecut_NN_July.indd 2 119/6/07 14:37:139/6/07 14:37:13
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