Tue 03, 1954 - Secret Submarine is Launched: In brillaint sunshine and to the strains...

Tue 03, 1954 - Secret Submarine is Launched: In brillaint sunshine and to the strains of” Rule Britania”, the British Navy's latest submarine was launched at Barrow - in - Furnawz. She is called Explorer, and is of a completely new design, incorporating many secret devices. Power is derived from hydrogen peroxide. Its performance will be much better than that on any the British Navy now has in service and has the ability to cruise submerged for thousands of miles at an under water speed of between 20 and 30 knots. She has an overall length of 209 feet and a beam of 15 feet 8 ins. This is the first submarine to be launched by the Royal Navy since the completion of the “A” class submarine in 1948. Photo shows the Navy's new submarine seen as she glides down the slipway after the launching at Barrow-in-Furness today