The first steel on the new Type 26 Frigates has been cut by Defence Secretary Michael Fallon.
During the ceremony, held at BAE Systems Shipyard in Glasgow, the Defence Secretary also revealed that the first ship will be named after the city where it is being built, Glasgow.
The name is particularly apt, with the city having a long history of supporting the Royal Navy through its ship-building industry. The new Type 26’s will be known as the ‘city class’ and each will bear the name of a city, highlighting the enduring link between industry and defence.
The first cut follows the announcement earlier this month contracting BAE Systems to build the first three warships of the eight-strong fleet. Under a £3.7Bn contract, the city class frigates will be built at the Govan shipyard, sustaining 1,700 jobs in Scotland and some 4,000 jobs in across the wider UK supply chain until 2035.
At the ceremony, Sir Michael said: “Today marks a historic milestone for the Royal Navy, Scottish shipbuilding and UK defence more widely.
“HMS Glasgow and the other seven frigates in this new class will protect our powerful new aircraft carriers and nuclear deterrent, helping keep Britain safe across the world.
“The Type 26 is a cutting-edge warship that will maintain our naval power with a truly global reach. Designed for a service life of at least 25 years, the Type 26 frigates will form a backbone of the future Royal Navy surface fleet well into the future.”
Admiral Sir Philip Jones, First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, said: “The Clyde was the birthplace of some of the greatest fighting ships the world has ever known, and so cutting steel there today for the future HMS Glasgow is symbolic of a Royal Navy on the rise once again.
“As an island nation, we are utterly dependent on the sea for our security and prosperity, and the City-class names have been chosen for the Type 26 to provide an enduring link between the Royal Navy and our great centres of commerce and industry.
“The name Glasgow brings with it a string of battle honours, stretching from the Arctic Circle to the South Atlantic. As one of the world’s most capable anti-submarine frigates, the Type 26 will carry the Royal Navy’s tradition of victory far into the future.”
A second contract for the next five ships is due to be negotiated in the early 2020s.
Image: © Crown Copyright
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