HMS Anson (S123)

Anson is the fifth of the new Astute Class submarines to join the Royal Navy fleet, joining HMS Astute, Ambush, Artful and Audacious.

Role

HMS Anson represents the cutting edge of the United Kingdom’s military capabilities. She is armed with Tomahawk land attack missiles and Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes, befitting her role as an attack submarine.

The nuclear reactor onboard HMS Anson does not need to be refuelled during her 25-year service period, while the ability to purify her own water and air means that her range is limited only by the amount of food onboard. As a result, she is capable of circumnavigating the globe without resurfacing.

Astute class

Unit history

1747

The First Anson

Seven ships bore the name Anson before the submarine; all were named after the great Admiral George Anson. The first Anson, a fourth rate 60-gun ship, appeared in the admiral's lifetime, and was launched on 10 October 1747.

1763

The Second Anson

Serving concurrently was a six-gun cutter which had been bought in February 1763 and was sold in July the following year.

1781

The Third Anson

The third Anson was a third rate 64-gunner launched at Plymouth Dockyard on 4 September 1781. She took part in the Battle of the Saints the following year, and in 1794 was cut down to a 44-gun ship.

1812

The Fourth Anson

Within five years the fourth Anson appeared. This 74-gun third rate was launched on the Humber on 11 May 1812. She moved on to harbour service in January 1831, and was converted to a prison ship in 1844.

1860

The Fifth Anson

A 3,361-ton 91-gun screwship became the fifth Anson. Launched on 15 September 1860, she was renamed Algiers in January 1883.

1886

Anson number Six

Anson number six was a 10,600-ton battleship, launched on 17 February 1886. The pre-Dreadnought was struck by the passenger ship SS Utopia off Gibraltar in 1891, killing more than 560 civilians.

1916

Anson number Seven

The next Anson was intended to be a sister ship to the battlecruiser HMS Hood; ordered from Armstrong in April 1916, she was cancelled in October 1918.

1940

The Eighth Anson

The next Anson, a 35,000-ton battleship, was renamed early in build at the John Brown yard, and she rattled down the slipway on 28 February 1940 as HMS Duke of York.

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