The keel for the latest HMS Dreadnought was laid down during a ceremony at the Devonshire Dock Hall at BAE Systems’ state-of-the-art submarine construction and assembly facility in Barrow-in-Furness.

Nearly a dozen warships have been named “Dreadnought” over the past five and half centuries, and even today, the name is most famously remembered for the revolutionary Royal Navy battleship that represented such an advance in naval technology that rendered all existing battleships obsolete.

On Thursday, the UK’s senior service announced that the keel for the latest HMS Dreadnought was laid down during a ceremony at the Devonshire Dock Hall at BAE Systems’ state-of-the-art submarine construction and assembly facility in Barrow-in-Furness.

It comes almost a decade after the “first steel” was cut for the future submarine that will serve as the lead vessel of a class of advanced nuclear-powered ballistic missile boats that will maintain the UK’s nuclear deterrence. 

Progress on the submarine was slowed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, but the program is reportedly back on track, with HMS Dreadnought entering service in the early 2030s. The new ballistic missile subs will eventually replace the aging Vanguard-class.

“The Dreadnought-Class submarines are the largest, most complex, and capable submarines ever built in the UK. They will start to replace the current Vanguard-Class from the early 2030s and keep the UK safe with our continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent – 365 days a year,” the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a post on X.

Welcoming the Newest HMS Dreadnought

Though a keel-laying ceremony is symbolic, this one was filled with no shortage of British “pomp and circumstance.” It was also especially noteworthy as it officially began the construction of the Royal Navy’s first new class of ballistic missile submarine since the 1980s, when Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, “The Iron Lady,” led the nation.

“This keel laying ceremony is considered the “birth” of a vessel, and I congratulate all those involved across the Alliance for reaching this important milestone in the life of HMS Dreadnought and look forward to bringing this exciting and highly capable submarine into service,” announced First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Ben Key. 

“Whilst the Vanguard-class of submarines continues to deliver our Continuous At-Sea Deterrent today, the Royal Navy is greatly looking forward to operating highly sophisticated and advanced Dreadnought-class submarines.”

Yet, it was just the symbolic “beginning” of a program that had been underway for nearly two decades since early design began. 

As Navy Lookout also reported, “This is a ceremonial occasion only as much of the boat has already been fabricated,” even as much of the construction “has been underway largely out of sight until now.” 

The keel laying simply shines “a light on the achievement scale and celebrates the efforts of the workforce and supply chain involved in this vast and critically important national endeavor.”

“Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer performed the honors as work started on the backbone of the first of four third-generation ballistic missile submarines in Barrow,” the Royal Navy announced. “To mark the key moment in the boat’s construction and to honor more than 150 years of shipbuilding in the town, 125 of them building submarines for the Royal Navy–His Majesty the King bestowed the honorary title “Royal” on the Port of Barrow.”

The program supports around 30,000 jobs across the UK, from design to manufacturing.

“Building the Dreadnought class is a national endeavor,” the Royal Navy added, noting that the four boats will be constructed over the next twenty years. 

“The boats themselves are being built in sixteen units which, when ready, are grouped into three ‘mega units’ and moved to the Devonshire Dock Hall for assembly; the first “mega block” of Dreadnought was delivered in the autumn of 2023.”

Complexity of the Dreadnought

The UK’s MoD has described the Dreadnought-class as, “one of the most complex machines ever built” and emphasized that it will be able to operate in the “most hostile environments on the planet.”

These will be the largest submarines ever constructed for the Royal Navy. All four planned boats will be the length of three Olympic swimming pools, nearly 150 meters long and displacing 17,200 tons, while also being among the “stealthiest” submarines ever constructed. 

In addition to advances in a unique hull design, the Dreadnought class will incorporate a new Turbo-Electric drive, a much quieter propulsion system than those of other nuclear-powered boats. Each future Dreadnought class’s future submarines will contain 26.4 miles of pipework and more than 20,000 cables spanning 215 miles, enough to stretch from London to the Welsh city of Cardiff.

Four Dreadnoughts, Coming Up!

Three of the four planned boats, HMS Dreadnought, HMS Valiant, and HMS Warspite, are now under construction, while the fourth, the HMS King George VI, will begin construction later this year. All four will be armed with Trident D5 missiles and carry out the Royal Navy’s “Continuous At Sea Deterrent” mission, which it has maintained every day since 1969.

It is hoped that the more advanced submarines will serve shorter stints at sea, down from the over 200 days-long missions that have become all-too-common with the Vanguard-class. Yet, even if the patrols are extended, the Dreadnought-class will feature remarkable amenities and crew creature comforts. These will include modern gym facilities and will be the first Royal Navy boats outfitted with female crew quarters, toilets, and washing facilities. 

To help the crews endure months at sea, the submarines will also have a new lighting system to simulate night and day, giving underwater mariners a better sense of the time. This is another first for the Royal Navy.

It will still be life under the sea for months, but the Dreadnought-class could make it more comfortable while the crew carries out its solemn deterrent mission. 

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites, with over 3,200 published pieces and over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author at Editor@nationalinterest.org.

Image: Wikimedia Commons/ UK Royal Navy.

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