Pride of the Navy

Jenny Foulds • Published 31 Aug 2010 10:00

A SUBMARINER - who is now a crew member of the UK’s most powerful attack submarine - said he was honoured to be at its commissioning ceremony on Friday.

Chief petty officer Kenneth Walker, from Dumbarton, said he is proud to serve on HMS Astute, which was being officially welcomed into the Royal Navy fleet.

On Friday, his mum and dad watched him take part in a military parade at HMNB Clyde at Faslane to mark the commissioning of the submarine, which was overseen by the boat’s patron, the Duchess of Rothesay.

The 45-year-old, who lives in Dumbarton West, said: “This is the culmination of four years of hard work and this is great for our families to be here today.

“There is a lot of advanced technology on the submarine and it is an honour to serve on this boat.”

Kenneth, who has been in the Royal Navy for 24 years, was based in Barrow-in-Furness for two years while the boat was being built by BAE Systems.

On Friday, the ceremony saw HMS Astute being handed over by representatives from BAE Systems and welcomed into the Royal Navy.

The new sub is quieter than any of her predecessors, meaning she has the capability to operate covertly and remain undetected in almost all circumstances, despite being 50 per cent bigger than any attack submarine in the Royal Navy’s current fleet.

On Friday, Camilla, the Duchess of Rothesay, took her time inspecting the crew and then told them: “I would like to say how proud I am of all you have achieved since I last saw you in Barrow-in-Furness.

“I have no doubt the sea trials were extremely demanding and that as ever you rose to the challenge, performing admirably in what must have been very testing conditions.”

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This article appeared in Dumbarton & Vale of Leven Reporter 31 Aug 10

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