HMS Alliance was a Cold War submarine but now it’s given people a new reason to get excited after being used as one of the locations for the fifth movie in the Transformers franchise; The Last Knight. The film will be released on June 23rd and sharp eyed film goers will be able to spot the HMS Alliance. The film franchise has been a major commercial success since the first movie and Hollywood stars, Mark Wahlberg and Sir Anthony Hopkins were recently welcomed at the home of the submarine, The National Museum of the Royal Navy in Gosport where they were filming the next instalment which is also directed by Michael Bay.
There were also special appearances by Autobots Bumblebee and Hotrod when they were filming a scene that involved rushing up to the submarine in a race vs. time. There were also other scenes that were filmed inside the submarine over the next three days. Many of the franchise’s fans turned up around town hoping to catch a glimpse of the cars and the stars. There nearly 300 people who were at the gate as news went around that the movie was being filmed.
The Director General of the National Museum, Professor Dominic Tweddle commented that the volunteers and staff were extremely excited to be a part of the production although they had to keep the details a secret. The professor also added that film tourism was a very good way for the museum to expand its appeal so they could also reach the family market. He commended the film crew for their respectful and creative treatment of the Alliance during the filming process. He finished by saying that while they couldn’t promise the visitors at the museum that they would get to see a famous face during their time there, they were sure they would have a great day.
The Alliance is a Royal Navy A-Class, Amphion-class submarine that was completed in 1947. It is the only remaining submarine in its class and has been used as a museum and memorial since 81. It was designed to be used in the Far East where it could patrol much greater parts of the ocean for an extended period of time. The submarine has had to be restored in recent years due to damage caused by the environment and the nesting of pigeons.