A MAJOR road movement saw the largest section of submarine for 30 years pass through the streets of Barrow.

A large section of the forthcoming first Dreadnought submarine was transported through Barrow by BAE Systems.

The largest and longest completed section of a submarine moved through the streets of Barrow, it was taken from BAE fabrication facility to the cavernous Devonshire Dock Hall.

No-one at BAE has moved a submarine section of this size  -22 metres long - in 30 years, when a low-loader carefully transported the 34-metre-long fore-end ‘mega unit’ of HMS Vengeance, the last of the Vanguard-class submarines.

With those beginning to near the end of their active lives, four successors will be built, of which Dreadnought leads the way, ahead of HMS Warspite and Valiant - also under construction - with work yet to start on the fourth boat, HMS King George VI.

The Mail: The long section of submarine, forming part of HMS Dreadnought, being transported

All will be assembled under cover in the dock hall – 260 metres long, 58 wide and 51 high, making it almost large enough to accommodate the Titanic – where the final two Astute-class submarines, HMS Agamemnon and Agincourt, are in the latter stages of construction and completion, and where the ‘mega unit’ will take its place on the Dreadnought build line.

Dreadnought is due to enter service in the early 2030s while the V-boats begin retiring after four decades carrying out Operation Relentless, the UK’s strategic deterrence mission.

Doubts have been raised over whether the Astute and Dreadnought submarine programmes will be delivered on time and on schedule, with a government report saying there were 'significant issues' around achieving those aims.

In an update earlier this year, the Government said the Dreadnought programme was still within budget and on track.

BAE previously said it was 'committed to delivering to schedule the Astute and Dreadnought class submarines for the Royal Navy'.

The start of construction of the third Dreadnought class submarine was marked with a steel-cutting ceremony at the shipyard in February.