Published at 16:34, Friday, 28 December 2012

IT ranks as one of Barrow’s proudest days of 2012.

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Ambush – the latest example of Barrow’s shipbuilding ingenuity – set off on September 15 with a hero’s reception ringing in the crew’s ears.

The culmination of £1.2bn and millions of man hours, the Astute-class nuclear-powered submarine left BAE bound for its new home in Scotland.

From its Faslane base, Britain’s most advanced submarine will be put through an extensive series of sea trials before becoming a vital part of the defence force.

In a statement looking back at the three months that have passed since Ambush left Barrow, managing director of BAE Systems Maritime-Submarines, John Hudson, said the departure had been a moment of immense pride.

He said: “In a year of significant progress on both the Astute programme and our new Successor submarine design programme, Ambush’s exit from Barrow was undoubtedly a highlight.

“It was a day of immense pride, not just for BAE Systems Maritime – Submarines, but for the Royal Navy and the whole submarine enterprise.

“The departure of Ambush was the culmination of a tremendous amount of hard work by everyone involved in the programme and the event ran very smoothly despite high winds on the day.

“Instead of taking the two days we had planned we had to carry out all the manoeuvres in one day. Nonetheless, the operation ran like clockwork and Ambush exited the channel to open sea bang on schedule.

“Seeing the community turning out in such numbers to cheer and wave as the boat left for sea, reinforced the pride we all felt. It was a reminder of the place that shipbuilding plays at the heart of the community and this was one of those showpiece occasions when we can all share our pride in that tradition.

“Astute and Ambush have performed well on their sea trials and Ambush has now been accepted into the Royal Navy.

“Elsewhere in the business, we have grown our Successor design team to more than 1,000 people and the project is making good progress. We are delighted that we have been able to recruit more than 250 people to join this exciting programme.

“For 2013 we have another exciting year ahead. We need to continue to make progress on the third submarine, Artful, and look forward to her naming ceremony in the autumn.

“Our fourth submarine, Audacious, is really taking shape and we need to maintain that progress. It is also an important year for our Successor project as we develop the design further.”

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