SECNAV Advances Maritime Statecraft during Visit to Barrow in Furness Shipyard in UK

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Barrow, ENGLAND - Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro visited BAE Systems Submarines Barrow-in-Furness Shipyard during a trip to the United Kingdom last week.

During the visit he met with UK government, Royal Navy and industry leadership to discuss expanding collaboration and applying best practices to U.S. submarine construction and maintenance. Secretary Del Toro was also updated on the SSN-AUKUS program as well as U.S.-UK collaboration on knowledge transfer, technology insertion and senior leadership engagements.

A tour of facilities showcased submarine production from hull sections of the future Dreadnought-class to the final stages of construction of the Astute-class. The secretary stopped by the Submarine Skills Academy as well and spoke with apprentices pursuing a variety of skilled trades at the shipyard.

"It was an incredible visit to BAE's Barrow Shipyard, where I saw construction of the Royal Navy's most advanced submarines by highly skilled technicians and toured their apprentice workshops to develop the next generation of submarine-builders," said Secretary Del Toro. "Lessons learned from building these extraordinary ships will pave the way for industry to build the next-generation SSN-AUKUS."

The visit also highlighted use of the Shiplift system to raise and lower submarines in and out of the water, both for delivery and for maintenance, instead of using a dry dock.

Construction of a public university satellite facility at the shipyard demonstrated ways that overseas industry is working to attract, educate and incorporate new talent into its workforce.

"I was very impressed with the strong partnership displayed between the shipyard, national and local governments to address skilled-workforce challenges in the shipbuilding industrial base that we all face," said Del Toro. "As part of my Maritime Statecraft initiative, I will continue to promote public-private training partnerships like this that revitalize American shipbuilding."

Launched on Sept. 23, 2023, Maritime Statecraft promotes whole-of-government efforts to restore U.S. and allied comprehensive maritime power.