Navy bosses want to change name of submarine HMS Agincourt to 'avoid upsetting French'
27 January 2025, 11:25 | Updated: 27 January 2025, 11:27
The Royal Navy has been accused of renaming new attack submarine HMS Agincourt to avoid upsetting the French.
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The seventh Astute Class boat was due to become the sixth vessel to be named after the 1415 battle, where Henry V routed the forces of France with the help of his legendary archers.
The Royal Navy revealed the King had approved its name being changed to HMS Achilles - itself an illustrious name in British military service.
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. pic.twitter.com/m9G8OvpVKh
— Royal Navy (@RoyalNavy) January 26, 2025
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The navy said that the name was "appropriate in light of the 80th anniversaries this year of VE and VJ Day" But it sparked claims that service chiefs wanted to avoid upsetting their allies on the other side of the Channel.
A previous attempt to rename Agincourt was blocked by then defence secretary Grant Schapps.
Mr Shapps told The Sun: "Renaming the Agincourt is nothing short of sacrilege.
"This submarine carries a name that honours a defining moment in British history."
In a statement on X, the Navy said: "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."
Agincourt inspired Shakespeare’s Henry V — famously played by Kenneth Branagh in a 1989 film — and many of the Bard’s most famous lines, including, “Once more unto the breach, dear friends,” and “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers”.
A previous HMS Achilles, a Leander Class cruiser, was part of a Royal Navy squadron which fought the German pocket battleship Graf Spee at the battle of the River Plate off South America in December 1939.
The German ship was badly damaged in the fight and was later scuttled by her commander, in one of Britain's first military victories of the war.
The Astute Class submarine was originally designated Ajax but later had its name changed to Agincourt. It is due to enter service next year.
