HMS Cardiff, the second of eight Type 26 City-class frigates under construction for the Royal Navy, has been flooded up in dry dock two at BAE Systems’ Scotstoun facility, transitioning the ship to a wet dock environment for the remainder of her fitting out programme, according to BAE Systems.
Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard welcomed the milestone, saying it was “an important milestone for HMS Cardiff and another step towards her taking her place in the fleet” and offering congratulations to all involved.
According to a BAE Systems video, the flood-up involved opening the water flow system into the dry dock and allowing water to rise until the ship could take her own weight afloat, at which point mooring lines were tightened to keep the vessel centred. The ship will now remain in the water in the same location and will not enter another dry dock period in this phase of her build, the company said, with gangways reinstated to allow fitting out and trials work to continue in wet dock conditions.
A member of the build team said the programme had spent four months preparing the ship for the flood-up, describing the team as having been professional in how they delivered the scope of work and having overcome many challenges to reach the milestone. Another worker said it was the first major milestone they had personally experienced on HMS Cardiff, calling it a proud moment, according to the footage released by the company.
HMS Cardiff is the second Batch 1 Type 26 frigate, following HMS Glasgow which is expected to enter service in 2028. Steel was first cut for Cardiff in August 2019 and she was floated off a heavy lift barge at Glen Mallan in September 2024 before being towed to Scotstoun for fitting out. The flood-up marks a further stage in that outfitting process as the ship’s complex systems are slowly installed ahead of test and commissioning.
The remaining six Type 26 frigates, HMS Belfast, Birmingham, Sheffield, Newcastle, Edinburgh and London, are at various stages of construction at BAE Systems’ Govan and Scotstoun yards on the Clyde. The class is designed primarily for anti-submarine warfare and will replace the ageing Type 23 frigates currently performing that role for the Royal Navy.
So Soon ?
😶
So sonar, propellers etc all fitted?
September 1939 WWII started. May 1945 VE day.
September 2019 Steel cut May 2026 in wet dock.
It’s taken 1 year longer than WWII to get this far. 🥴
Something I don’t really understand. If Norway have ordered two Type 26s, and the RN have eight on order then why is the total number on order not ten? Why do people talk about the RN giving up build slots? Is this another stealthly RN size reduction? Is the ASW fleet getting even smaller? All very concerning for the high north operations.
Yes, it’s cutting by sleight of hand.
Labour will argue that as they are part of a joint UK-Norway fleet, numbers have actually gone up.