Council to contact Royal Navy Sea Lord for HMS Achilles affiliation
Blackpool Council is looking to establish formal affiliation with a state-of-the-art nuclear-powered submarine as part of the town’s long-standing links with the Royal Navy.
The move has been proposed by Cllr Adrian Hoyle, an ex-serviceman who is the council's Armed Forces Champion.
At the author's Full Council meeting on Wednesday January 28, councillors unanimously voted to support Cllr Hoyle’s motion that the council should write to the First Sea Lord, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins RM, seeking a formal civic affiliation to HMS Achilles, currently under construction in the Royal Port of Barrow.
The town previously held a long, active affiliation with the Trafalgar-class submarine HMS triumph, which officially ended when the vessel decommissioned in July 2025.
Cllr Hoyle stated in the meeting: “This affiliation would continue the strong connection between Blackpool and the Royal Navy, built up over many years with HMS Triumph, thus maintaining and developing the existing local links and community ties.
“HMS Achilles is a nuclear powered Astute Class hunter-killer submarine, the final of seven constructed by BAE Systems, which will provide the most advanced attack submarine ever operated by the Royal Navy.
“Armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles and Spearfish torpedoes, they are also the most potent. With a crew of 130 Officers and ratings, HMS Achilles is one of the quietest submarines ever built, can circumnavigate the globe completely submerged and is capable of producing its own oxygen and water.
“The Command and Control System, along with the Combat System Networks and Sonar systems, ensure that the submarine operates virtually undetected for months at a time.
“For many years, the enduring link between the residents of Blackpool and the Nation’s Maritime heritage has seen close associations with serving and retired Royal Navy personnel, and the Submarine Service in particular.
“The Council is therefore requested to agree to a formal civic affiliation with HMS Achilles to continue this proud tradition and to write to the First Sea Lord to request such. “