Themes

The Navy at Home and Abroad

• Shore Establishments

• Humanitarian Relief

• Flying the Flag

  • Navy Days

  • World Cruise

  • Air Days

  • Aerobatic Display Teams

  • Submarines at Fleet Reviews

  • Launches & Commissioning

  • The Royal Marines Tercentenary, 1964

  • Royal Marine ceremonies in Malta

• Letters Home

• Prisoners of War

Learning

• How to: Understand a Uniform

Launches & Commissioning

Article Highlights

• Introduction

• The keel laying ceremony

• Launching a submarine

• The commissioning service

• Location of the ceremonies

What is a keel laying ceremony?

The keel is a large beam around which shipbuilders make the hull of a ship or submarine. It is generally the first part of the vessel to be constructed. Laying the keel, or placing the keel in the cradle in which the engineers build the submarine, is a momentous event in the vessel’s construction. It is, therefore, usually marked with a ceremony. Builders place coins in to the keel to invoke good fortune during the submarine's construction and throughout its future years at sea.

Ashtray commemorating the keel laying of the submarine HMS Parthian. Note the coin in the centre. (RNSM)

To find out about launching ceremonies, select Next