Latest news with #submarine
BBC News
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
Royal Navy veteran, 100, has birthday with submarine in Gosport
A Royal Navy Veteran who looked after submarine radars during World War Two has spent his 100th birthday on board an iconic underwater Wood, the former radar mechanic, visited HMS Alliance at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum in coincided with a special day for the submarine which celebrated its 80th vessel is the sole surviving British WW2-era submarine and Mr Wood, who last boarded one in his 20s, joked as he walked on that "it's been a few years since I was here". Mr Wood had worked as a radio transmitter engineer for the BBC before he was called up for the Royal by family and friends for his birthday celebrations, Mr Wood reflected on his said: "It's always nice to look back on it and think, 'yes, I was part of that'." HMS Alliance served for decades through the cold war before falling into decay. It was restored for the museum in 2014 and is now a memorial to 5,300 British submariners who lost their lives in service between 1904 and the present day. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Australia Signs Defense Pact With UK
Happy Monday, it's Carmeli in Sydney here to bring you all the latest news to start your week. Today's must-reads: • Australia and the UK sign submarine pact • Australia strengthens India trade • EU wins lowered 15% tariff rate from US Australia and the UK signed a landmark 50-year defense treaty on Saturday to underpin the construction of nuclear-powered submarines, senior ministers from both nations said. Both sides stressed that the treaty doesn't impact the Aukus security partnership between Australia, the UK and the US — currently under review by the Trump administration.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Boom time for Barrow as Naval orders flood in
HMS Agamemnon sits in the open dock as workers add finishing touches to the latest Astute Class submarine to roll off production lines at Barrow-in-Furness. Completion of the sixth of a seven-boat order begun in 2001 might, in years gone by, have been followed by the town's shipyard facing a contract drought and winding down. But its fortunes are now different – with a full order book for decades to come, bringing investment and prosperity to an isolated corner of Cumbria. Rising fears of global conflict mean billions of pounds of orders from the Royal Navy for shipyard owner BAE Systems. Four Dreadnought submarines will eventually replace the Vanguard class vessels that carry Britain's Trident nuclear weapons. The Government has also placed an order for up to 12 nuclear-powered Aukus attack submarines. As a result, BAE is upping its workforce at Barrow-in-Furness from 11,000 to 17,000 – on a par with the shipyard's historic peak – and is near-trebling its apprenticeship programme to 1,000. And a £220 million investment in infrastructure over the next ten years, awarded by Rishi Sunak's government, is seeing benefits with improvements to the A595, Barrow's link to the M6. Barrow's population of 67,000 has grown for the first time in nearly 40 years, with newcomers attracted by the stunning coastline and Lake District. On a recent visit accompanied by Defence Secretary John Healey, Prime Minister Keir Starmer described its renaissance as a 'blueprint for the nation'. Leading BAE's training at its £25 million submarine Academy For Skills And Knowledge, which opened in 2018, is Jim Perks. The former submarine captain said: 'We've known for years the Government's requirement for submarines is growing. We needed to increase our workforce dramatically, increase the size of the yard and improve the supply chain.' He said the company adopted a 'grow your own' approach, recruiting via the academy, which is expanding with a high-tech training hub in the Debenhams store, which closed in 2021. Perks said the hub would allow apprentices to learn techniques on simulators so they can be 'up to speed' before joining teams on real boats. Recruits are a 60:40 split of trade versus degree apprentices, and demand is high with 4,000 applicants in 2024 and 6,000 this year. While there is a tradition of generations of Barrow families working at the shipyard, Perks, who is also recruiting more women, said: 'Some of the most complex machines in the world are made here by Barrovians, but we want to look further afield too.' Carrie, 20, a trainee electrician following in her father's footsteps, said: 'I wanted a hands-on job and was always interested in engineering and carrying on the tradition.' Olivia, 19, training to be a joiner, said: 'I think it's good for the town as there's not been too much to offer around here. It's particularly helpful for young people. It's a good start in life with job security.' Local traders are starting to see an upturn after years of decline. Ashley Holroyd, 33, owner of Coffee D'Ash, opened a branch next to the hub last year having previously sold his drinks from a trailer. He now employs eight staff, and said: 'I came to Barrow in 2017 when the shops were closing and footfall was close to dead.' Pointing to the smartened-up town centre, he added that it now 'feels like a town on the up'. BAE's investment in Barrow is mirrored on the Clyde in Glasgow, where it is building eight Royal Navy Type 26 destroyers. The firm has invested £12 million in an academy – opened by Princess Anne in April – to train 300 recruits annually for the sites at Govan and Scotstoun. Referring to the threat posed by Russia, vice-admiral Sir Simon Lister, managing director of BAE's Navy Ships business, who spent over 40 years in the Royal Navy and was briefly British Naval attache in Moscow, said: 'Over 48 years in the Armed Forces and in the military and defence industry, I'd say this is the most tense and challenging time for us all.' BAE has also invested £300 million in production facilities at Glasgow to cut the time it takes to build each £1 billion destroyer by a third, from 98 months to 66. This includes opening a giant shipbuilding hall, allowing two warships to be assembled at once under cover rather than being built in sections before being joined together under scaffolding. Among apprentices at BAE's Glasgow academy is Anna, 30. She said almost 'every male member of my family' had worked in the yards or on ships. She added: 'My dad served in the Royal Navy, my grandad was in the Royal Naval Reserve and my great grandad, Edward McKnight, was a chief engineer for the Royal Navy. I'm following in my family's footsteps.'
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- Science
- South China Morning Post
China's navy submarine academy recruits first female students in 72-year history
For the first time in 72 years, China's top training institution for navy submarine personnel recruited 10 women for its bachelor's degree programme. The 10 students, who achieved top scores on this year's university entrance exams, were accepted by the PLA Naval Submarine Academy, according to a social media post by the institution on Thursday. Among the students were Wang Chenyue, from the village of Qianhe in eastern China's Zhejiang province, who scored 647 out of 750 on her exam. As the academy delivered her acceptance letter, she said she had always wanted to join the military , especially the navy. Another incoming student, Yang Jingyue from Taizhou, Jiangsu province, scored 652 out of 750 on her exam. She said she wanted to dedicate herself to China's national defence, according to the social media post. The academy was founded in 1953 and launched undergraduate programmes in 1956, master's degree programmes in 1987, and doctoral programmes in 2003, according to its website. Some of the academy's key strengths and areas of specialisation include navigation technology, underwater target recognition, weapon systems and engineering, and naval architecture and ocean engineering.
SBS Australia
4 days ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Australia and the UK recommit to each other, and AUKUS
Australia and the United Kingdom have signed a 50-year defence deal to underpin the AUKUS agreement. The countries have committed to strengthen their ties to AUKUS, despite the US reviewing the 368 billion dollar pact. Joined by the British Secretary of Defence John Healey for the signing of the agreement in Geelong, Defence Minister Richard Marles says AUKUS is one of the most important treaties since federation. "And in doing this, AUKUS will see 20,000 jobs in Australia. It will see in building a submarine in this country, the biggest industrial endeavour in our nation's history, bigger even than the Snowy Hydro Scheme. And in military terms, what it will deliver is the biggest leap in Australia's capability really since the formation of navy back in 1913." Australian academic Chongyi Feng has become the second Australian to be the subject of arrest warrant of Hong Kong's national security police, citing his roles in a political group that authorities claim promotes Hong Kong independence from China. Another Australian resident, Wong Sau-wo, was also among the 19 individuals outside Hong Kong that were issued with arrest warrants, for their involvement with an pro-democracy group, Hong Kong Parliament. SBS News has reached out to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for comment. Professor Feng, who is also close friend of detained Chinese Australian writer Yang Hengjun, told SBS News while he feels safe being in Australia, the federal government must remain cautious when interacting with China. "Issuing an arrest warranty is an act of political prosecution against an Australian citizen. So we need to be fully aware of the nature of (China's) authoritarian regime when dealing with Xi Jinping or the People's Republic of China." Thousands of voters in Taiwan are going to the polls today [[July 26]]. The controversial election, known as the Great Recall Vote, is being held just one year after the self-governing island's presidential election. Liang-chun Lin is a filmmaker who is campaigning for the removal of 31 opposition politicians accused of having close links with China. In an interview with SBS Chinese, she's accused the Opposition of paving the way for the Chinese Communist Party to rule Taiwan. "(Mandarin to English) Right after being appointed last year, seventeen lawmakers from Kuomintang went to Beijing to meet the top official that Xi Jinping appointed to oversee united front work. When they came back to Taiwan, they passed various laws that could reduce the costs for the Chinese Communist Party to invade Taiwan in the future, as if they were paving the ways for the CCP to rule Taiwan." Taiwan's Opposition denies the allegations, and is urging people to vote no in the Recall vote. Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached in December, has been ordered by a court in Seoul to pay 104 citizens for psychological harm during his declaration of martial law last year This marks the first court ruling in South Korea that recognise citizens' right to compensation for damages caused by the declaration of martial law. U-S President Donald Trump has landed in Scotland ahead of the opening of a new Trump golf course in Aberdeenshire, and for talks with leaders. Air Force One touched down at Prestwick Airport just before 8:30pm on Friday local time. Mr Trump was greeted by Scottish Secretary Ian Murray before boarding Marine One to travel to his Turnberry resort on the west coast. His visit is expected to spark protests across the country, prompting Scotland Police to request extra officers from other forces. Mr Trump will spend time at both Turnberry and his golf property near Aberdeen, but the trip also includes meetings with U-K Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to discuss trade. "I'll be meeting with the EU on Sunday and we'll be working on a deal. We'll see if we can make a deal. (European Commission President) Ursula (von der Leyen) will be here, highly respected woman, so we look forward to that. It'll be good.' In cricket, Australia has taken an unbeatable three-nil lead in its best of five Twenty20 series against the West Indies in the Caribbean- courtesy of a record-breaking century from Tim David. David has hit 102 not out from just 37 balls- the fastest-ever century from an Australian batsman, guiding the Aussies to their target of 215 with 23 balls and six wickets to spare in game three of the series in St Kitts. David hit eleven sixes and six fours, and put on an unbeaten partnership of 128 with new all-rounder Mitchell Owen. Australia was in trouble when the pair came together with the score at 4 for 87 in the ninth over.
