The school will provide academic and technical training for those entering Royal Navy submarine service, providing an important step in submariners’ careers.
The £4M school is being constructed as part of a £1.3BN investment plan that will cement the Clyde as Britain’s submarine hub, and will see all 11 Royal Navy submarines based at HMNB Clyde from 2020. The school will support the Astute hunter killer submarines, as well as the delivery of training for the new Dreadnought nuclear deterrent boats, which provide the United Kingdom with its continuous nuclear deterrent.
The number of people employed at the base will rise from 6,800 people to 8,200.
Relocation of all submarines and submariner training to the Clyde comes as part of the Better Defence Estate Strategy, published in November, which set out the department’s plans sets out plans to achieve a more efficient, modern and capability focused defence estate and bring greater harmony to Service families.
Final design approval of the Initial Gate Business Case is expected soon, which will allow work to begin later this year.
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said: “We are now making a long-term investment of hundreds of millions of pounds to improve and upgrade the waterfront at Clyde to make sure it is ready to support the United Kingdom’s whole submarine fleet.
“As well as a boost to the Scottish economy, this will also bring welcome stability for our personnel, who work hard to help keep Britain safe and secure.”
Head of the Submarine Service, Rear Admiral John Weale said: “Our new single integrated operating base will make significant improvements to the work-life balance of our 5,000 submariners.
“By putting our boats and training in one place, our submariners can put down roots in Scotland knowing that they are no longer required to commute from one end of the country to another.”
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