Prince William meets the team building the HMS Glasgow

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The Royal Navy has ramped up its anti-warfare capabilities with the launch of the Type 26 frigate HMS Glasgow, which entered water for the first time in a move described by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace as a “major milestone”. The unveiling ceremony on Wednesday saw the 6,000-tonne vessel, which is nearly 500ft long, make its first surface contact at River Clyde, HMS Glasgow was towed into deep water by a barge for transport to another facility to complete construction.

Engineers from BAE Systems involved in the float-off of the Type 26 Frigate have been specifically trained using a 3D visualisation suite which gives engineers access to a “full digital twin” of the ship.

HMS Glasgow will be towed back to the facility of the defence giant in Scotstoun on the River Clyde for its next construction phase. It will also undergo additional trials and commissioning. The giant Frigate, which has been under construction since 2017, is scheduled to be delivered to the Royal Navy in the mid-2020s.

The new Type 26 class will partially replace the navy’s thirteen Type 23 frigates and will be a multi-mission warship designed to support anti-submarine warfare, air defence and general-purpose operations.

HMS Glasgow has a range in excess of 7,000 nautical miles and can hold more than 200 crew. It is armed with 48-cell VLS Sea Ceptor anti-air missiles and has 24-cell Mark 41 VLS for Tomahawk, ASROC and anti-ship missiles.

The giant frigate also comes armed with a number of guns – a 5-inch 62-calibre Mk 45 naval gun; two 30 mm DS30M Mk2 guns; two Phalanx CIWS; two miniguns and four general purpose machine guns.

It carries the Wildcat aircraft (armed with four anti-ship missiles or two anti-submarine torpedoes) and the AgustaWestland Merlin (armed with four anti-submarine torpedoes. HMS Glasgow can accommodate two helicopters and has a large Chinook-capable flight deck

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “HMS Glasgow entering the water for the first time marks a major milestone for the Type 26 programme which supports thousands of highly skilled jobs in Scotland and more across the wider UK supply chain.

“We’re continuing to invest in the British shipbuilding industry to maintain the Royal Navy’s cutting-edge ability to defend our nation, while strengthening our partnership with allies.”

UK Naval Regional Commander Brig. Andy Muddiman explained during the event: “The floating of HMS Glasgow today represents an important milestone in the build of the Royal Navy’s latest anti-submarine warfare frigate. This is the first of eight Type 26 frigates being built by BAE Systems in Glasgow.

“The Royal Navy’s exciting programme of ship building in Scotland, which includes five Type 31 general purpose frigates being built by Babcock International in Rosyth, will generate jobs, skills and economic benefits in Scotland for many years to come.”

Several pictures of HMS Glasgow’s floating ceremony were tweeted by the Royal Navy on Wednesday, writing alongside this: “HMS Glasgow spent St Andrew’s Day transiting the River Clyde for the first time.

“The first of the Type 26 frigates will ultimately be delivered to Scotstoun after completing the first stage of her construction at Govan shipyard. Today she passed the Titan Crane and Erskine Bridge.”

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BAE Systems Maritime shared a number of pictures and wrote: “HMS Glasgow is on the move! She is now heading down river to enter the water for the first time before returning to Glasgow to our Scotstoun yard for further outfitting and test and commissioning. A momentous occasion for this First of Class Type 26.”

This huge milestone comes after Rishi Sunak announced last month Britain will spent £4.2billion on five new frigates from BAE Systems to bolster security “in the face of increased Russian threats”.

The Prime Minister said in a Downing Street statement: “The UK and allies are taking steps to bolster their security in the face of increased Russian threats.

“Russia’s actions put all of us at risk. As we give the Ukrainian people the support they need, we are also harnessing the breadth and depth of UK expertise to protect ourselves and our allies. This includes building the next generation of British warships.”

The huge spend is the next step in a programme under which three vessels are already under construction, and all eight frigates are expected to be completed by the mid-2030s.

Separately, BAE Systems also confirmed the order of five more City Class Type 26 frigates, which the defence giant added would sustain 4,000 jobs across the company and the wider supply chain.

BAE chief executive Charles Woodburn said: “This contract secures a critical UK industry and allows us to build on our long history of shipbuilding as we continue to deliver cutting-edge equipment to the Royal Navy into the next decade.”

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