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The Royal Navy has responded to concerns within the Ministry of Defence by changing the name of its newest submarine from HMS Agincourt to HMS Achilles. There were reports suggesting that the original name could be seen as offensive to the French, referring to the battle that England won against France in 1415, part of the Hundred Years War. The former naming of the submarine had been announced by Gavin Williamson whilst he was the Conservative former defence secretary in 2018.
Former Defence Secretary Grant Shapps criticised the move, condemning it as “woke nonsense”. The announcement of the name change was confirmed by the Sun newspaper, shortly before it was expected to publish a story on internal debates over the planned name of the submarine. The decision is controversial but has been in discussion for over a year.
According to the Navy, the decision to change the name of the new submarine was taken, in part, due to its appropriateness as the world prepares to mark the 80th anniversaries of Victory in Europe and Victory over Japan days, both of which take place this year. The HMS Achilles received battle honours during World War Two and another ship with the name was involved in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
All of the Navy’s Astute Class submarines have a name beginning with the letter A: HMS Astute, Ambush, Artful, Audacious and Anson are all in active service. Besides, the submarine will be built at the BAE Systems shipyard in Barrow, Cumbria. The proposed name change was approved by His Majesty the King as proposed by a Navy committee. While there has been no official comment from French authorities, the decision has been criticised for its apparent disregard for British history and tradition
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