Tag Archives: HMS Glasgow

Navy

Blocks join together

The aft block of HMS Glasgow, the first City Class Type 26 frigate being built for the Royal Navy, has been rolled out of the build hall to join the forward block at our BAE Systems shipyard on the River Clyde.

HMS Glasgow
HMS Glasgow blocks come together for first time

In a busy period for HMS Glasgow, teams at our Govan shipyard prepared and completed a series of complex manoeuvres to bring the aft block out of the ship block and outfit hall and into position to meet the forward block. This significant moment brings the two blocks together, and for the first time the full size, scale and the elegant lines of HMS Glasgow are out in the open.

The aft block contains the versatile mission bay and hangar which is capable of supporting helicopters, boats, mission loads and disaster relief stores, while the flight deck is capable of landing a Chinook helicopter for transport of embarked forces.

HMS Glasgow is the first in a new generation of cutting-edge Type 26 frigates, designed and built in her namesake city. The Type 26 programme supports more than 4,000 jobs across the UK, making a significant contribution to the nation’s economic recovery by maintaining much-needed skills and capabilities.

The Type 26 is the original variant of BAE Systems’ Global Combat Ship, which Australia and Canada have both selected as the reference design for their anti-submarine frigate programmes, supporting greater operational, training and intelligence ties between the three nations.

Navy

City-class frigate

This is the first of the Navy’s next-generation frigates, gradually taking shape in a huge shed on the Clyde.

HMS Glasgow begins to take shape
HMS Glasgow begins to take shape

This is HMS Glasgow, the lead ship in the new City-class, successor to the workhorse of today’s Fleet, the Duke-class Type 23 frigates.

Eight of these Type 26 ships will replace the «souped-up» submarine-hunting variant of the 23s (those equipped with Sonar 2187 – the towed array streamed from the quarterdeck) from the middle of next decade. (The five general purpose 23s, such as HMS Montrose, will be superseded by the Type 31e frigate which is still at the design stage.)

Work has been under way on the £1.2bn warship since mid-July 2017 at BAE Systems’ yard in Govan.

She’ll comprise more than 60 blocks in her finished form, with all but half a dozen of those giant segments in place by the end of next year.

The size of the vessel and the Govan shed means the ship will be pieced together in two huge sections: first the forward part of the frigate, followed by the stern.

Once the two parts are joined on the slipway outside the shed, the main mast and bridge section will be lifted into place and the mostly-complete frigate will be taken downstream for fitting out at BAE’s yard on the north bank of the Clyde at Scotstoun.

All of which is a couple of years off. For now, Vice Admiral Chris Gardner wanted to see how far Glasgow had progressed in his new role as Chief of Materiel (Ships) at the Defence Equipment and Support organisation – the arm of the MOD which oversees new projects and programmes and provides engineering and technical support to existing military kit.

«You can now stand inside a Type 26 as the zones come together and get a real sense of HMS Glasgow as she takes shape», he said.

Three ships have been ordered from BAE: Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast, while the remaining five vessels in the class have been named: Birmingham, Sheffield, Newcastle, Edinburgh and finally London.

The admiral also dropped in on «mega Medway» – No.2 of five new RN patrol ships – which is about to sail from Scotstoun on her second period of trials; all five vessels have been built in Glasgow, four are in the water and one, HMS Forth, is in Royal Navy hands.

Navy

Production begins

BAE Systems welcomed Sir Michael Fallon MP, Secretary of State for Defence, to its Glasgow shipyard to press the button to start production of the first of the new Type 26 Global Combat Ships for the UK Royal Navy. During his speech, the Defence Secretary unveiled the name of the first ship as HMS Glasgow.

Production begins in Glasgow for the first Royal Navy Type 26 Global Combat Ship
Production begins in Glasgow for the first Royal Navy Type 26 Global Combat Ship

This ceremonial event follows the UK Government’s recent award of a contract worth c£3.7bn for the first three ships to be built at BAE Systems’ sites in Glasgow. This builds on the work already underway to construct five River Class Offshore Patrol Vessels and provides a strong foundation for the next two decades of shipbuilding in Scotland, securing more than 4,000 jobs across BAE Systems and its UK maritime supply chain.

During the visit to BAE Systems’ shipyard in Glasgow, Defence Secretary, Sir Michael said: «Today marks yet another historic milestone for the Royal Navy, Scottish shipbuilding and UK Defence more widely. Glasgow will protect our powerful new aircraft carriers and nuclear deterrent, keeping British interests 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 into the 2060s».

The Type 26 Global Combat Ship will be a world-class anti-submarine warfare ship, replacing the Type 23 anti-submarine variant frigates, with the first ship due to be delivered to the Royal Navy in the mid 2020s. Globally deployable, the flexible mission bay, aviation facilities and combat systems ensure it will be capable of undertaking a wide range of roles from high intensity warfare to humanitarian assistance, either operating independently or as part of a task group. We are exploring potential export opportunities where we have strong interest from international customers.

Type 26 is cutting edge in terms of its capability and benefits from the latest advances in digital technologies, including 3D and virtual reality, to ensure that the ship’s design is refined earlier in the process.  This has enabled BAE Systems to work in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Navy to ensure every zone of the ship has the requirements of its crew at the heart of the design.

Commenting on this important announcement, Iain Stevenson, Managing Director, BAE Systems Naval Ships said: «This is an extremely proud day for our employees across the UK and our wider UK maritime supply chain. Providing our customers with next generation platforms and technologies that give them an essential edge is what inspires us. Working with the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Navy we have designed the Type 26 in a fully digital environment and have now seen her through the eyes of her crew in a 3D environment. Through this approach we have a mature ship design that is ready for manufacture».

 

General Characteristics

Builder BAE Systems
Propulsion 2 electric motors, 4 high speed diesel generators, 1 gas turbine
Length 489 feet/149 m
Beam 68 feet/20.8 m
Displacement approximately 6,900 tonnes
Speed 26+ knots/30+ mph/48+ km/h
Range In excess of 7,000 NM/8,055 miles/12,964 km
Crew 157
Accommodation Up to 208, including Embarked Forces
Flexible mission bay Space for 10 × 20 feet/3 × 6 m ISO containers or boats and unmanned vehicles
Flight deck Capable of landing a Chinook helicopter