The shipyard which builds Britain’s nuclear submarines and is set to build future Australian submarines was struck by a “significant” fire overnight, the cause remaining under investigation.
A “significant” fire broke out at Devonshire Dock Hall at Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, north-east England overnight. Two people were admitted to hospital with suspected smoke inhalation but there were no other injuries.
The former Vickers-Armstrongs facility is where the UK builds its nuclear submarines and it is a key location for the new nuclear submarines of the ‘AUKUS’ submarine alliance of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. HMS Agincourt, an Astute class hunter-killer (fleet) submarine and three of the forthcoming Dreadnought nuclear deterrent submarines are presently under construction at the site.
