HMS Glasgow warship ‘historic milestone’ for Royal Navy
Written by News on 21/07/2017
Britain’s Navy has been declared "on the rise again" as the first steel was cut for a new fleet of warships.
HMS Glasgow was christened by Defence Secretary Michael Fallon at a ceremony in the city it was named after.
The anti-submarine Type 26 frigate will be the first one built and eventually be the length of 15 buses.
It will feature two sonar, a medium-calibre gun, an air defence tower and an "acoustically quiet hull" – coming in at £1.23bn per ship.
At top speed, the cutting-edge vessel will travel 26+ knots, or just under 30 mph. It will carry a crew of 118 and has a range of 7,000 nautical miles.
Three ships have been commissioned so far, with a contract for the further five negotiated in the mid-2020s.
The Ministry of Defence declared the work would "support and sustain" 3,400 jobs.
Speaking at arms firm BAE System’s shipyard in Govan, Mr Fallon promised the warships would "maintain our naval power with a truly global reach".
He 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 warships are expected to have a service life of 25 years and could be sold on to other countries as exports.
Australia has already expressed an interest in them, the MoD said.
The First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Philip Jones, also spoke at Thursday’s ceremony to hail the symbolic importance of the ships.
He 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."
(c) Sky News 2017: HMS Glasgow warship ‘historic milestone’ for Royal Navy
