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The HMS Anson submarine, a hunter-killer submarine that is the Royal Navy’s newest and most cutting-edge vessel, is close to deployment after her latest successful sea trials.
This is the largest and most advanced British submarine to date, is nuclear-powered, and has many advanced weapons and systems. Each 7,800-ton, 97-meter-long submarine can be equipped with Tomahawk missiles to strike land-based targets from afar, as well as Spearfish torpedoes to take out enemy submarines and surface vessels.
According to Interesting Engineering, the HMS Anson is the latest in the Astute class, $1.5 billion submarines that can sail around the globe while submerged, and can even generate oxygen and freshwater to support crews during demanding and prolonged missions. The submarine left on its latest test mission in February last year and has been tested ever since to prepare for frontline duties.
“Anson spent time in waters off the UK coast and then sailed further north of Scotland to test her weapons systems with successful firings of both Spearfish and Tomahawk test missiles,” the Royal Navy explained in a press release. “The tests and trials intensified into the Atlantic as Anson headed to the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) in the waters around the Bahamas.”
The AUTEC base, which belongs to the US Navy, combines world-leading experts and technology next to an incredible natural phenomenon – the ranges off Andros Island are centered on a massive deep-water bowl carved out of a coral reef called “the Tongue of the Ocean.” It is up to 32 km wide, 241 km long, and 1,829 meters deep.
Furthermore, the base has sensors and hydrophones to collect data on submarines, torpedoes, and sonar performance while they are being tested in the reef, making it ideal for testing the stealth capabilities of the vessels.
