HMS Ambush, part of the UK nuclear submarine fleet arrives in Gibraltar

HMS AMBUSH an Astute Class nuclear submarine arrived in Gibraltar on March 9 but in accordance with Ministry of Defence policy no details of her mission other than the fact that she is visiting as part of her operational tasking were released.

Ambush, the second of the nuclear powered attack submarines of which seven are planned, was named in Barrow in December 2010, launched in January 2011 and commissioned in March 2013. It is considered one of the most advanced and powerful attack submarines Britain has ever sent to sea.

Featuring the latest nuclear-powered technology, the vessels will never need to be refuelled and are capable of circumnavigating the world submerged, manufacturing the crew’s oxygen from seawater as she goes.

The Astute Class are also quieter than any of her predecessors and have the ability to operate covertly and remain undetected, despite being fifty percent larger in size than the Royal Navy’s Trafalgar Class submarines.

In keeping with her name, her motto is ‘Hide and Seek’.