The keel of the first Dreadnought submarine, HMS Dreadnought, has been laid at the BAE Systems shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness.

This was announced by BAE Systems in a press release.

HMS Dreadnought will be the first of four nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines of the same class to replace the Vanguard class submarines.

The ceremony, which was attended by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Secretary of State for Defense John Healey, marked an important milestone in the UK’s continuing deterrence at sea program.

“The keel-laying of the first of its class, HMS Dreadnought, is an incredibly proud moment for everyone at the company, the defense nuclear enterprise and the Royal Navy. It comes as the last main unit of the ship prepares to enter the Devonshire dockyard for final integration, demonstrating the progress made on the program to date,” said Steve Timms, Managing Director of BAE Systems’ Submarines Division.

To meet the government’s Defense Nuclear Enterprise initiative, the number of personnel based at Barrow has reportedly been increased by more than 3,000 since 2023 to 14,700. And this growth will continue as the Dreadnought and SSN-AUKUS programs develop.

In total, the Dreadnought program is expected to provide around 30,000 jobs across the UK over the life of the program.

The Barrow shipyard has also undergone a £1 billion (€1.19 billion) refurbishment to improve efficiency and increase capacity for the construction of Dreadnought submarines.

Dreadnought

The Dreadnought class submarines will be the largest submarines in the Royal Navy. With a hull length of 153.6 meters, their displacement will be 17,200 tons.

One submarine will be able to carry 12 Trident II D5 intercontinental ballistic missiles equipped with nuclear warheads. The submarines will also be equipped with 533 mm torpedo tubes.

In early October 2016, steel was cut for the construction of the lead submarine of this type. Its delivery to the fleet was originally planned for 2028, but at the end of 2021 it became known that the boat would be commissioned later – in the early 2030s.

Construction of the second such submarine, Valiant, began in September 2019, and the third, Warspite, in February 2023. The total cost of the program is estimated at £31 billion.