Submarine deal secures 2,000 British jobs
The future of 2,000 British jobs will be secured following the signing of a multi-million pound deal to upgrade one of the Royal Navy's nuclear deterrent submarines, the Defence Secretary will announce today.
The £350 million contract to refit and refuel HMS Vengeance will be confirmed by Phillip Hammond during a visit to Devonport Dockyard in Plymouth on Monday morning. It will sustain more than 1,000 jobs at Babcock in Devonport, Plymouth, and a further 300 at other companies in the city. Such is the scale of the refit that another 700 jobs in the industrial supply chain across the UK will also be sustained.
HMS Vengeance is one of the UK’s four Vanguard class submarines, designed to carry the UK‘s Trident nuclear missiles. Together they form the backbone of the UK’s continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent.
The upgrade is expected to take three and a half years – clocking up a total of 2.5 million man hours. It will involve a complete overhaul of equipment on the submarine as well as the installation of improved missile launch equipment and upgraded computer systems.
A new reactor core – the energy source that powers the 15,000 tonne vessel – will also be fitted meaning that HMS Vengeance will be able to operate until the end of her remaining operational life without having to refuel again.
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