HMS Audacious visit, July 2026

The WCI was honoured to be invited by Commander James Dent (pictured) to spend a day at HMNB Devonport, including a tour of HMS Audacious during her Affiliates' Day on 16 July 2026. HMS Audacious is one of the Royal Navy's latest Astute-class nuclear-powered submarines. Representing the WCI were Adrian McGivern, the Master's Consort, and Court Assistant Alan Punter. Other affiliates included representatives of the Leathersellers' Company, former Royal Navy personnel and sea cadets.

Throughout the day, the WCI party was hosted by Lieutenant Liam Stoker and Lieutenant Alex Walker. After a hearty breakfast (submariners know how to eat both quickly and well, as time spent eating comes out of the six hours they have available for rest between six-hour watches), we began with a guided tour of HMS Courageous. This Cold War nuclear-powered submarine was fully decommissioned and defuelled before being carefully restored as a museum. The inner workings of a submarine are fascinating, with almost every available surface covered in pipes, gauges, valves and switches.

We then toured HMS Audacious, which was undergoing maintenance before returning to operational service. Alongside the intricate engineering visible in HMS Courageous, there are now sophisticated digital control systems with keyboards and screens, yet the crew's living accommodation is even more compact. Every available space is devoted to propulsion, control systems and, above all, the Weapon Handling System, known universally on board as the "bomb shop". Every member of the crew we met was welcoming, knowledgeable and clearly proud of serving in the boat. There is an obvious spirit of teamwork and mutual support — "buddies on board", as they describe it. In such confined surroundings, if something needs doing and you are able to do it, you simply get on with it rather than waiting for someone else. To earn the coveted Submarine Service "Dolphins" badge, every submariner must demonstrate a detailed understanding of almost every system on board.

The day concluded with a black-tie Affiliates' Mess Dinner ashore, hosted by Commander James Dent. The evening ended in traditional style with enthusiastic singing of sea shanties, accompanied by vigorous table-banging—a memorable conclusion to a fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable day.

Lt. Liam Stoker RN explained the importance of the partnership with the WCI:

"The partnership between the boat and the Worshipful Company of Insurers is something we value greatly, and it is always rewarding to be able to provide an insight into submarine service. As you can imagine spending all day with other submariners makes you forget how cool this job is as it becomes the norm and having interested guests, such as yourselves, really brings that to the forefront of my mind. It was great to see how interested you both were with all of your well thought out questions and you were genuinely a joy to have visit.

"Your comments regarding the professionalism, teamwork and commitment of the Ship's Company is very much appreciated and is exactly what we strive for, so it's great to hear that is so apparent. I will ensure that your thanks are passed on to the team, who will be pleased to know that their efforts helped make the day both informative and enjoyable."