The Glovers is proud to be associated with HMS Artful, one of the Astute Class; the largest, most advanced and most powerful attack submarines that the Royal Navy has ever operated. These amazing machines - described as ‘more complex than the Space Shuttle’ - are some of the finest attack submarines in the world today. Well-equipped for every challenge, they combine world leading sensors, design and weaponry in a versatile vessel. Their mission? Safeguarding the interests of the United Kingdom, supporting international partners and providing security at sea to make sure the global trade Britain and the world relies on can proceed without a hitch.
Artful was the third of the seven Astute-class submarines to be built at Barrow. She was formally handed over to the Royal Navy on the 10th December 2015 and the Glovers are proud to have been affiliated with her and her crew since 2013. The company sponsors an Annual Award, the Ram’s Head Trophy, which is awarded by the Master Glover at our Winter Lunch to the member of crew that has contributed most outside their own work area. The winner is nominated by the Captain.
Crewing an Astute-class nuclear attack submarine is highly intensive. A standard crew consists of about 100 personnel who operate on a strict rotating schedule of watchkeeping, maintenance, and training. Because the nuclear reactor never needs refuelling, the length of their underwater deployments is only limited by how much food they can carry (usually a three month supply).
The crew works in shifts and their operational duties include sonar monitoring, engineering, and weapons handling. Due to limited space, junior ratings often share bunks ("racks") in shifts, meaning as soon as one person wakes up for duty, another takes their place to sleep. Since there is no TV aerial or internet connection underwater, the crew watches movies from massive shared hard drives or plays video games (usually FIFA on a PS4 or Xbox) in their respective mess.
To find out more about life onboard HMS Artful and the work of a submariner see: https://bit.ly/SubmarinerCareers
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