Q&A · 53:04-56:10

What might future Royal Navy submarines be called?

A naming question explores the Royal Navy's changing letter conventions and the possibility of reviving older families of names.

Question

What might the future Royal Navy Orca submarines be called?

Short answer

B names are plausible after Astute, while an O-class revival is also possible because of its Anglo-Australian history.

Notes

The Astute boats have used A names, so B names are one possible next step. The suggested pool includes Basilisk, Beagle, Brazen, Brilliant, and Broadsword, drawing on destroyer names as well as submarine practice. The Dreadnought ballistic-missile submarines show that letter sequences need not govern every new class, since capital-ship names have been chosen for those boats. O names are another suggestion because of the earlier association between O-class submarines and Anglo-Australian orders. These are possibilities discussed for the future, with no settled naming scheme claimed.