The change was reportedly made so as to not upset France.

There will be no quotes from William Shakespeare’s play Henry V used as the motto for the Royal Navy’s seventh and final Astute-class nuclear-powered attack submarine. The boat, which is now under construction at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, was slated to be HMS Agincourt—and would have been the sixth warship named for the famed battle fought by King Henry V’s forces during the Hundred Years War.

Instead, however, the submarine will be named HMS Achilles, after the Greek hero of the Trojan Wars.

The change was reportedly made so as to not upset France, which lost the famed 1415 battle. This is also the second change, as the “in-work name” for the vessel had been Ajax until it was announced in 2018 that it would be named HMS Agincourt.

“The 7th Astute-class submarine is to be named HMS Achilles, as approved by The King. The name is appropriate in light of the 80th anniversaries this year of VE and VJ Day. Six ships have previously borne the name, earning six battle honours, including the River Plate and Okinawa,” the Royal Navy announced on Sunday in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

“Craven Political Correctness”

Yet it is already clear that many in the UK are not pleased with the decision to change the name of the future attack submarine. The previous Conservative government, which had been decisively voted out of power in July 2024, had previously blocked a request to re-designate the vessel.

“Renaming the HMS Agincourt is nothing short of sacrilege,” Grant Shapps, former British defence secretary, told The Times. “This submarine carries a name that honours a defining moment in British history. Under Labour, woke nonsense is being put ahead of tradition and our armed forces’ proud heritage.”

Sir Gavin Williamson, the former defence secretary who announced the name of HMS Agincourt in 2018, went even further and warned the Royal Navy might seek to permanently retire certain names due to cultural pressure.

“What next HMS Dreadnought to HMS Fear All, HMS Victory to HMS Defeat? We should take pride in our history, not be embarrassed,” the paper of record quoted him as explaining.

“I don’t see the French renaming the Gare d’ Austerlitz to avoid upsetting the Germans. And I’m now concerned that we might lose Waterloo and Trafalgar Square,” Rear Admiral Chris Parry, a former Nato commander, told Times Radio. “You don’t rename ships once they start getting built.”

Parry added that the Royal Navy’s admirals should be “seething” about the name change, and said the decision was based on “craven political correctness and ideology gone mad.” He added that it may have been “payback” from Paris, which may have pushed for the name change after France was pushed out of a $90 billion submarine pact with Australia. Instead, Canberra opted to move forward with the AUKUS program with the UK and the United States.

“[Royal Navy] ship names are decided by a committee of senior members of the Royal Navy who work under the direction of the controller of the navy. Their recommendation is sent to the board who can accept or reject this advice before passing it on to the secretary of state. If approved by the defence secretary it will then go to the King and is rarely changed once it has royal sign-off,” The Times explained.

About the Astute-class

The Royal Navy’s Astute class is among the most capable attack submarines in service today. Each boat is equipped with world-leading sensors, carries Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missiles and Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes, and can circumnavigate the globe submerged, producing its own oxygen and drinking water. Each of the Royal Navy’s nuclear-powered Astute-class fleet submarines (SSNs) has been outfitted with many technological firsts, including not having an optical periscope.

Instead, high-specification video technology has been employed, which enables the crew to scan the horizon and get a 360-degree view to address any potential threat.

The program began in February 1986 when the Ministry of Defence (MOD) launched a number of studies intended to determine the capabilities and requirements for the replacement of its Swiftsure and Trafalgar-class fleet submarines.

The boats include HMS Astute (S119), HMS Ambush (S120), HMS Artful (S121), HMS Audacious (S122), HMS Anson (S123), HMS Agamemnon (S124), and finally HMS Achilles (125).

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

Image: Wikimedia Commons.

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