On April 18, 2009, rubber tiles on the command tower of the ship, which was still in Barrow-in-Furness in the shipyard, caught fire, for an initially unexplained cause. The damage caused was limited to the outside of the submarine. The official commissioning took place on August 27, 2010.
On October 22, 2010, the Astute ran aground during test drives off the Isle of Skye . The accident, in which the rudder of the Astute was also damaged, was ultimately due to the carelessness of the watchman and deviations from the correct procedures in planning and carrying out the navigation. A few hours later, tugs maneuvered the submarine into deeper waters during the high tide. During this rescue operation there was a collision between the Astute and a coast guard tug , with the forward depth rudder on the starboard side being damaged.
On April 8, 2011, while visiting local dignitaries aboard the Astute Able Seaman in the Southampton docks, Ryan Samuel Donovan fired six rounds in the control room; there were Lieutenant Commander Ian Molyneux killed and Lieutenant Commander Christopher Hodge injured. Able Seaman Ryan Samuel Donovan was then sentenced to 25 years in prison.
