Blackpool strengthens Royal Navy links with affiliation agreement with HMS Achilles during Armed Forces Week

Blackpool has formally strengthened its links with the Royal Navy after the town officially signed an affiliation agreement with HMS Achilles during Armed Forces Week.

The agreement was signed by the Mayor of Blackpool and the Captain of HMS Achilles, marking the beginning of a new partnership between the resort and the state-of-the-art nuclear-powered submarine.

The affiliation follows a unanimous decision by Blackpool Council earlier this year to establish formal civic links with HMS Achilles. The proposal was put forward by the council's Armed Forces Champion, Cllr Adrian Hoyle, an ex-serviceman, who called for the authority to seek an affiliation with the submarine while it remains under construction at the Royal Port of Barrow.

Following the council's approval, Blackpool wrote to the First Sea Lord, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins RM, requesting the formal civic affiliation.

The new partnership continues the town's long-standing relationship with the Royal Navy. Blackpool was previously affiliated with the Trafalgar-class submarine HMS Triumph, a relationship that officially came to an end when the vessel was decommissioned in July 2025.

Crew members from HMS Achilles had already begun building ties with the resort before the agreement was signed, joining residents at Blackpool's Remembrance commemorations in 2025. Their attendance at the town's War Memorial marked the start of a new relationship while honouring those who had made the ultimate sacrifice.

HMS Achilles is the seventh and final Astute-class submarine and is in the later stages of construction at BAE Systems' shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness.

Blackpool Council said it now looks forward to welcoming the submarine's crew to the resort, building a lasting connection and seeing them take part in many of the town's key civic and community events in the years ahead.