On a red-letter day for the Royal Navy’s future frigate force two shipbuilding milestones were passed in a matter of minutes.
Work today began on the fourth Type 31 warship, HMS Bulldog, followed by the second ship in the class HMS Active emerging from a gigantic assembly hall – ready for completion and testing.
Hundreds of workers, sailors, military, business and political leaders, led by Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard, watched as lasers were set to work cutting the first steel plates for Bulldog at Babcock International Group’s state-of-the-art shipbuilding facility in Rosyth.
The 28-metre-tall doors at the neighbouring Venturer Assembly Hall were then opened and HMS Active – weighing several thousand tonnes – was carefully rolled out on a self-propelled modular transporter (a gigantic remote-controlled trailer) amid a light and laser show which lit up the north bank of the River Forth.
“These milestones reflect the momentum, ambition and national commitment behind the regeneration of our future frigate force,” Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Steve Moorhouse said.
“The Type 31 Inspiration class represents a major step forward in modernising our fleet. These are capable and adaptable ships, designed to give the Royal Navy the flexibility it needs in a fast-changing strategic environment. Their combat systems and modular design will allow upgrades throughout their life, ensuring they can meet both today’s threats and those we cannot yet see.”
The Inspiration class is one of two replacing the Royal Navy’s existing frigate force. It will perform general duties around the globe – from maritime security operations and providing disaster relief through to full-scale warfighting if required – while Type 26/City class vessels, currently under construction in Glasgow, will conduct anti-submarine patrols.
Four of five Type 31 frigates are now under construction at Babcock’s yard, led by HMS Venturer which is completing fitting out in dry dock, while the keel of HMS Formidable, ship No.3, was laid down just before Christmas. A final vessel in the class, HMS Campbeltown, will follow.
All five take their names from Royal Navy predecessors whose deeds have gone down in history.
The actions of the crew of HMS Bulldog changed the course of World War 2 by seizing an Enigma coding machine from a crippled German submarine in May 1941. It would help Alan Turing and fellow codebreakers at Bletchley Park read hitherto indecipherable radio messages; breaking Enigma is credited with shortening the conflict by as much as two years.
HMS Active served extensively around the globe for 17 years, most notably in the Falklands in 1982 when her guns pounded Argentine positions to support ground forces closing in on the capital Stanley. Subsequently sold to the Pakistan Navy, her career spanned a remarkable six decades.
Among the hundreds of people watching Active emerge from the assembly hall was 66-year-old Mike Hurley, who spent near 24 years in the Navy as a marine engineering – including service aboard HMS Active in the Falklands.
“I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Active name is being used again as my last sighting of her was on a YouTube video being torpedoed after completing her service as the PNS Shah Jahan – a sad end, so great to see the Active name living on!” the Mancunian said.
Some 1,250 people are being employed directly in the construction at Rosyth and sites around the UK, while the same number are working nationwide to support the Type 31 programme.
“The combination of HMS Bulldog’s steel cutting ceremony and the roll out of HMS Active today demonstrates the breadth and depth of shipbuilding capability here in Rosyth and signals to the country and our allies the commitment the Royal Navy is making to our future defence,” said Commander Thomas Hetherington, HMS Venturer’s Senior Naval Officer.
David Lockwood, CEO, Babcock, added: “Delivering the steel cut for HMS Bulldog and the roll-out of HMS Active on the same day is a powerful demonstration of the drive and delivery focus of our Type 31 programme as we build the next modern, future-ready fleet for the Royal Navy.
“These milestones show the maturity of our facility, the success of the design and build process, and the skill and dedication of our Babcock team.
“We are not only building a new class of ship at Rosyth, we are also at the forefront of a national endeavour that is strengthening the UK’s shipbuilding industry, supporting sovereign and allied maritime capability, while creating an advanced industrial footprint and expertise that will support the future of global shipbuilding for generations to come.”
HMS Active will be affiliated with Burnley and Wolverhampton, while Bulldog will be linked with Manchester and Swindon.
All five Inspiration class ships will operate out of Portsmouth Naval Base.
