(Image: Newsquest)
Work has started on a building which will arm the Royal Navy's new multi-billion-pound nuclear submarines.
Naval Base Commander Clyde and Commodore Andy Bray recently broke ground on a new facility at Royal Naval Armament Depot (RNAD) Coulport to support future classes of Royal Navy submarines.
Building 300 at the Royal Naval Armament Depot will house the Vertical Embarkation System, or VES, a new facility used to load tactical weapons onto future Dreadnought-class deterrent submarines.
The House of Commons approved replacing the current submarines in 2016, despite opposition from anti-nuclear groups and campaigners concerned about the cost.
Built at a cost of £7.75bn per unit, four Dreadnought submarines will replace the current Vanguard ships, which constantly patrol the seas carrying ballistic missiles equipped with thermonuclear warheads.
The Trident system is designed to act as a deterrent to other nations with nuclear capability, as a first strike on the UK would not eliminate the ability to strike back, given some of the country's weapons are continuously at sea.
entrance to base (Image: NQ)
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Building 300 at the Royal Naval Armament Depot will be the home of the Vertical Embarkation System – or VES – a new facility used to load tactical weapons onto the future Dreadnought Class deterrent submarines. (Image: Supplied)
The building is designed to receive, store, assemble, and maintain Spearfish torpedoes, the Royal Navy's primary underwater weapon for both anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and anti-surface warfare (ASuW). The VES will also be used to train personnel to handle the weapons.
“This is a great day, with the building moving from the concept and design phase to activity on-site,” said Philip Mortlock, Superintendent of RNAD Coulport. “The building is already drawing interest and excitement as the first of many investments to be made at Coulport to ensure we have a sustainable enterprise that will enable all our future submarine weapons programmes.”
Commodore Bray struck the first spade on October 5th alongside representatives from KDG, the project's prime contractor. Staff from the Superintendent’s office, Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), Deputy Head Infrastructure (DHI), Submarine Support Team (SMST), and Babcock Torpedo Loading Party staff, who will be among the first to benefit from the new facilities, joined them for the occasion.
The multi-million-pound project is now up and running with initial piling underway. In less than two years, the building should be ready to support Dreadnought preparations at HMNB Clyde and will likely support the future SSN-AUKUS programme too.
Commodore Andy Bray, Naval Base Commander Clyde, said: “I am thrilled to be able to break ground on this fantastic facility today. It will be a much-needed and exciting addition to the Coulport landscape, and I, for one, look forward to seeing the building when it comes to life.”
The VES groundbreaking is the latest in a host of development work underway at HM Naval Base Clyde. In March this year, the ribbon was cut on a new Trident Training Facility Extension at Faslane. The new facility will provide submariners, particularly weapons engineers, with bespoke training using shore-based equipment that replicates what is found on the Dreadnought Class.
NAVAL BASE Commander Clyde, Commodore Andy Bray, broke ground on the construction of a new facility at Royal Naval Armament Depot (RNAD) Coulport recently which will support future classes of Royal Navy submarines. (Image: Supplied)
The site is also undergoing construction of four new Single Living Accommodation blocks, with the first two to be used by trainee submariners undertaking the Submarine Qualifying Course (SMQ) at the base’s Royal Navy Submarine Training Centre (RNSTC).
Last year, the government approved a £270.7M investment package, an initial three-year funding package, to adapt and improve the infrastructure at Clyde and prepare it to welcome the Dreadnoughts and the Royal Navy’s next generation of attack submarines.
From early 2030, the Royal Navy will gradually replace the current Vanguard-class submarines with the Dreadnought class, the most powerful and technically advanced submarines ever built for the Royal Navy.
Last month, Chancellor John Healey confirmed plans to build three new floating docks for HM Naval Base Clyde in the UK, supporting the defence industrial base and sovereign capabilities.