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 launching?

Launching is the method of transferring a new submarine from its building site to the sea. The oldest and most widely used is the end-on launch, in which the vessel slides, usually bottom first, down an inclined slipway.

In 1901 the Royal Navy carried out the launching of their first submarine Holland 1 in secret and without ceremony because at this time there was a great deal of bad feeling towards these vessels. The first submarine the Navy launched officially was Holland 2 in 1902. Watching the launching, however, was no more than a small group of people which included the Managing Director of Vickers shipyard and his daughter. By the 1960s the ceremonies for the launching of submarines were large public events. In 1969 10 000 people cheered and waved flags at the launch of the submarine HMS Conqueror, one of the largest crowds ever to watch the launch of a ship at the Cammel Laird shipyard.

See a commemorative brooch made for the launch of Holland 2

Aerial view of the launch of the submarine HMS Resolution in 1966 (RNSM)

What happens at the launching ceremony?

At the launching ceremony the Royal Navy officially names the submarine. The person launching the submarine proclaims, ‘I name this ship...and may God bless all who sail in her’. The vessel is then ‘christened’ by smashing a bottle of champagne against its side. In the early days of submarines the Royal Navy used an axe to cut the rope which tied the vessel to the dock, releasing the boat into the water. Nowadays, they use a lever to free the vessel.

Launching casket of the submarines HMS C.20 and HMS Churchill (RNSM)

Who performs the launching ceremony?

Until the end of the 1700s it was usually the Dockyard Commissioners who carried out the ceremonies. During the early 1800s the Prince Regent suggested that a lady should preside over the launching of military ships and since then this has become a tradition with all vessels. The Queen and the Queen Mother have both launched submarines during the 20th century.

The Queen Mother launching the submarine HMS Resolution (RNSM)

What traditions are associated with the launching ceremony?

The custom of smashing a bottle of wine or champagne began during the reign of George III. It replaced an older ceremony where the King’s representative named the ship, sprinkled wine on the deck from a goblet and then threw the goblet overboard. People consider that if the wine or champagne does not spill then the vessel will have bad luck. This belief comes from a launching carried out by a Princess of Hanover who, aiming the bottle at the bows of the ship, hit a spectator instead. They were badly injured and sued the Admiralty for damages!

Spare launching bottle for the submarine HMS Upholder (RNSM)

To find out about commissioning ceremonies, select Next