Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said he was “proud” to see the submarine HMS Anson make her maiden journey.

The Astute Class nuclear-powered attack submarine, which was built at a cost of £1.3 billion, was formally commissioned into the Royal Navy at a ceremony in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, in August last year.

HMS Anson, the fifth Astute Class submarine, has now headed out to the open sea for the first time as it heads to His Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde, in Scotland, home of the UK’s Submarine Service.

HMS Anson
HMS Anson begins its maiden voyage (James Bird/BAE Systems/PA)

Anson is expected to undertake sea trials before joining the other four Astute Class submarines in operational service – HMS Astute, HMS Ambush, HMS Artful and HMS Audacious.

Mr Wallace said: “HMS Anson will play a vital role in defending the UK, providing a competitive edge for decades to come, and I am proud to see her make her journey up to her permanent home on the Clyde.

“Supporting tens of thousands of jobs across the UK, our Astute Class submarines are a leading example of our commitment to defence manufacturing, continuing to boost British industry for decades to come.”

HMS Anson
The fifth Astute Class submarine is to be housed at HM Naval Base Clyde in central Scotland (BAE Systems/PA)

HMS Anson was designed and built by BAE Systems.

Steve Timms, managing director of the firm’s submarines business, said: “It’s with enormous pride that we bid farewell to HMS Anson as she departs our site to take up her vital role helping to protect the UK’s national security.

“This is a truly national endeavour, so delivering the most capable attack submarine ever built for the Royal Navy is a tremendous moment for our company, our employees, the Barrow community and the whole of the submarine enterprise, not least our vast and crucially important UK-wide supply chain.”