HMS Agamemnon (S124)

History

HMS Agamemnon (S124) is the sixth Astute-class nuclear submarine in service with the modern Royal Navy. The Astute class grew out of a Royal Navy initiative to replace the Trafalgar-class Cold War-era submarines that entered service in 1983. Ships in this class including HMS Ambush (S120), HMS Artful (S121), HMS Audacious (S122), HMS Anson (S123) and HMS Agamemnon (S124) will arrive sometime in 2024 with the arrival of HMS Ajax (S125) Done, there are seven ships in total.

HMS Agamemnon ordered March 2010 and laid on July 18, 2013. She is currently (October 2013) actively built by BAe Systems Submarine Solutions with an expected commissioning date sometime in 2022.

In all, Agamemnon would drain 8,160 tons (short) (submerged), 318 feet in length, 37 feet in beam, and 33 feet in draft. Her full crew will consist of 98 officers and soldiers, with additional space on board to transport mission specialists or guests.

Her sensor and processing system consists of a series of advanced kits including a Thales 2076 sonar, an Atlas DESO 25 series active echo sounder sonar system, two Thales CM010 electro-optical periscope masts, and The "Successor IFF" (Identify, Friend or Foe) command and control unit developed by Thor.

Externally, the Astute class has a distinctive and commanding profile, with a broad, sloping nose forming a faceted arc. The hull remains the classic subsea tube shape. The dive plane is mounted in front of the sail, near the top edge of the hull. The sail is mounted near the midship in its elongated form and is fitted with various retractable optics and sensor systems.

The stern is detailed with a cruciform fin arrangement and a single propeller assembly housed in a noise reduction shroud.

As a nuclear-powered attack submarine, HMS Agamemnon will receive a Rolls-Royce-branded PWR2 series nuclear reactor, allowing for virtually unlimited underwater endurance - essentially limited to onboard food storage (equivalent to three months ). The life of the reactor itself is estimated at 25 years. The propulsion system also includes an MTU diesel generator that produces an additional 600 kW of usable power.

This configuration will allow Agamemnon to achieve a maximum offshore speed in excess of 30 knots under ideal conditions.

According to her attack classification, HMS Agamemnon is equipped with 6 x 21" (533mm) torpedo tubes to deal with underwater and surface threats. The ship will launch the wire-guided BAE system "Spearfish" torpedo, which was introduced by the Royal The weapon, which entered Navy service in 1992, has a range of 30 nautical miles and carries a 660-pound warhead through an autonomous sonar guidance kit with active target search. Six launch tubes are located in two groups of three, each located on the underside of the forward hull .The ship will also support the carry and launch of the U.S. Rayson BGM-109 Tomahawk Cruise Missile (Block IV) to land-based targets as needed. Block IV represents an improved version of the original BGM-109C Attack Missile (TLAM-C) single Warhead.

In addition to its obvious infrastructure for attacking enemy ships/warships at sea or ra nd Agamemnon will also serve British Special Forces upon request.

HMS Agamemnon (S124) Named after the Greek mythological king Agamemnon. The name has previously been used for five Royal Navy ships, the first of which is a 64-door third-rate tall ship dating back to the Battle of Trafalgar in 1781. Another famous Hulk became the HMS Agamemnon in 1906, a Lord Nelson-class battleship that fought in World War I.

Specification

Basic

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ARMAMENT