As HMS Venturer rolled out of the build hall at Rosyth today, the first of the Royal Navy’s new Type 31 frigates, Babcock’s Marine Chief Executive Sir Nick Hine made clear that this milestone isn’t the end of the journey. It is just the beginning of a much larger ambition.
“I’m on record as saying I want to sell 31 Type 31s by 2031,” said Hine, speaking to the UK Defence Journal at the roll-out event. “I want to make sure that this is a programme that lasts and runs, that we get the benefit of all the investment we’ve made here: the £200 million we’ve put into Babcock and into our site, the skilled workforce we now have here, the engineers, the apprentice programme, our production service operatives.”
With Venturer now fully assembled and out in the open, the next phase begins: float-off, fitting out, and sea trials. Hine gave a detailed sense of what lies ahead for the ship and the programme.
“We’ll take her from where she is behind us on the hard standing, we’ll put her on the barge, and we’ll take her into dock. She’ll be in dock in the next sort of 10 days or so. And we put her into dock because that’s the best place to do more fit-out work. So we’ll fit her out over the next sort of six to nine months,” he explained.
“Once we’ve done that, we’ll look to start vessel acceptance, and we hope to start having that done in the next sort of 12 months, handover to the Navy. I mean, I’d hand her over to the Navy as quickly as we can. We need to be smart about that. We need to be clever about how we do acceptance so that we can get her into the fleet as quickly as possible.”
That urgency reflects the overall tempo of the Type 31 programme. Five warships from contract award to full service within ten years would be unprecedented in UK shipbuilding.
“We maintain our ambition to have five ships in service from contract award to five in service in ten years, which is unheard of,” Hine said.
But for Hine, it’s not moving fast enough, a sentiment he freely admits. “Those people who know me will know nothing in the world ever goes fast enough for me. I’ve already said to the team, ‘We’ve got one out today, so why isn’t number three in the yard?’”
Still, he’s proud of the pace so far. “It’s going much faster than any other shipbuilding programme in the UK, or anywhere in the world actually, in terms of complex warships. Five in service from contract in ten years is astonishing. Could I go faster? Probably. Would I like to go faster? Yes, of course, because the Navy needs the ships. These will be vital elements of national security. So I’d like to deliver that as quickly as possible.”
The second ship, HMS Active, is already structurally complete, with HMS Formidable progressing through early assembly. But Babcock’s ambitions now stretch well beyond the initial batch of five.
“Let’s be really clear,” Hine said. “This isn’t just about delivering five ships and stopping. This is about sustaining momentum, building on what we’ve learned, and making sure this site and its people have a future.”
That future depends on securing further orders, both from the UK government and international partners.
“Whilst my team build ships as well as you can see here today, it’s my job to go and win work,” he added. “I need to persuade governments that they need platforms like this. I am convinced that this is the ship that navies need.”
The roll-out of HMS Venturer was a defining moment for Rosyth. But Babcock’s sights are set firmly on what comes next, expanding the programme, keeping the workforce active, and securing Britain’s role as a global leader in modern warship construction.
That’s good news for the upcoming Type 83
Scrap the idea of type 32 and build more type 31.
Wouldn’t be surprised if Type 32 doesn’t turn out to be a Type 31 fitted with not for the bells and whistles.
I’m hoping the Type 32 is the type 31 with reduced manning and noise reduction.
It would not surprise me if essentially T32 and MRSS collapsed into a T31 with a stern ramp and larger hanger…
They don’t have to be a polar choice of one or the other, we should definitely get two more type 26 frigates out of that programme, before hopefully production switches to Norwegian requirements and 5 more type 31s, the type 32 concept is still required as a direct replacement for our mine warfare fleet- we still need a drone mothership able to deploy mine clearance unmanned systems in mass. the arrowhead 140 type 32 offering would fit this requirement perfectly.
Would be nice if the UK ordered atleast another 12. Need more than 6 destroyers awell. And yes I’m aware we have allies but surely the military needs to be prepared for any situation? Even if the ships are kept at dock in reserve.
Another 5 would be good if dont think we have any hope of 12.
Oh absolutely its wishful thinking. Christ I’d love to see more subs aswell. We’re an island nation surely the Navy and Airforce must take priority?
No we need to rebuild the BAOR to keep Germany safe from literal donkey army.
Thats proper strategy 😀
Jim,
You may wish to change the emoji you have chosen to indicate tongue-in-cheek humour. Perhaps 😉, as an alternative? Otherwise, some may misinterpret intent of statement.
😜
Not forgetting Jim, that we expect the Germans to cut back their defence spending to 1% GDP whilst we have the privilege of paying for their defence, for no thanks…..
👍Exactly, I agree!
agree another batch of 5 then continuous build at a slower rate with the added advantage of the AH140 arrowhead hullform being the best possible choice for type 32- we still need 5-8 type 32 ships optimised for mine warfare mothership role, protection of sub sea critical infrastructure and the Arrowhead design just went to prime contender for that requirement.
Its possible if NATO are saying we have to reach 3.5% GDP to defence ratio by 2030- which is the mood music coming out of NATO headquarters- that will really spoil Russia and China’s plans to have to face a fully revitalised, rearmed and prepared military alliance.
China’s chance of taking Taiwan is now. if they wait too long the rest of the world will be ready for them and despite their numerical advantages they cant fight the whole world.
Mr. Bell,
Believe the CRINKs, especially the ChiComs, are fully aware that longer-term trends will be distinctly unfavorable for them, if ENATO engages in serious rearmament. 🤞 By the mid-late 2030s, many initiatives, including AUKUS Pillars I & Ii. should be bearing fruit. 🤞 Unfortunately, Mad Vlad’s Orcs are already on a wartime footing, and Xi hs ordered the PLA to be ready for wr by 2027. The next ten years could prove to be quite interesting.
…war…🙄
Indeed for china and Taiwan you are looking at 2026 to 2032 as the high point of risk..beyond that I suspect chinas massive armament programme will have run out of steam.. and US Allies like the UK will have recapitalised navies…
I suspect china will allow some time for political warfare to work..it knows the U.S. is becoming more isolationists, it knows Europe and the U.S. are falling rapidly out of love and it knows a lot of semiconductor production is moving out of Taiwan..making it less critical for the US and wider west… so it may just let things roll for a bit to assess if the US would really fight for Taiwan and if Europe would support the U.S… it may delay if it thinks one or more of those will fall into place politically..
After all for china
The best outcome is the U.S. does not fight over Taiwan
The second best is the US fights over Taiwan but is isolated from Europe and Europe refuses to get involved
It would delay if it though it could get those… but conversely once it thought it had them it would make invasion almost inevitable.
5 more type 31s and then 6-7 type 32s based upon the arrowhead 140 type 32 offering and that will take us to 12 more ships from babcock- giving the RN a true polyvalent unit again and returning critical mass and the ability to deploy and maintain enduring presence where our national interest requires.
I think this team are doing wonders and should be hugely applauded- give them more work and let them run with it.
Ditto the type 26 programme, accelerate the programme and then squeeze a few more ships out of the contracts.
Yes and I’d love to see more destroyers. We need them. Warfare has evolved rapidly. Missiles and drones are the biggest threat now.
We need alot more land air defense aswell. For an island nation, its pathetic how little air defense we have.
If we commit to another 3 to help scure the workforce – with the ability for our order to slip delivery date, should other nations order, I would be happy with that.
‘Fully assembled’ my foot.
A milestone accomplished, at last, to be fair.
<ore publicity to come when 'floated off'. then the real work begins.
Floating off scheduled in next 7-10 days, fully fitted out in 6-9 months. Handed over to the RN within the next year. Blinking marvelous.
Give them another 5 to build.
What an amazing warship for the price we are paying, thank god for Babcock.
Yes, progress on both the T-26 and T-31 classes certainly compares favorably w/ USN Consternation class. Perhaps the creation of an arrangement to provide several of each, at mate’s rates, to your former colonists? In turn, perhaps RAF acquisition of a few B-21s at a discount from Uncle Sugar? Probably fantasy, but apparently all parties will have more coin of the realm to spend, post NATO 2025 Summit 🤔🤞
Consternation class, that’s a much better name 😀
The USN needs to learn the lesson we did in the 2000’s a stop trying to drink champagne on brown ale budgets.
Taking an off the shelf design for a cheap warship then going to the extremes of not just lengthening a hull but widening it as well is criminal.
Hopefully we increase our own number of surface combatants well above 19 to give the USN some much needed support.
The USN wanted its own design, this is the only way they could do that. Congress (or whoever) mandated that they use a foreign design.
It is actually rather clever.
I’d love the UK to have a long range stealthy strategic bomber again. Just can’t see the MOD budget stretching to that.
I’m happy if the USN wants type 31 frigates for them to go right ahead and order them.
That would be awesome.
These ships are costing the UK the same as a UDN LCS and yet have 3x the armament and are a fat more adaptable weapons / missions platform.
Babcock are doing the job for us, if first in class can be handed over to the navy by mid to end of next year- so in 12 months time al fitting out is completed then we definitely should give these guys a contract for at least another 5 type 31s- then move onto a type 32 design potentially- meaning optimised for littoral warfare and protection of vital offshore infrastructure and mine clearance.
Well done Babcock- that’s a 5500 ton frigate delivered just when we need it- asap and now.
Now type 26 programme- do the same and we can hopefully add a couple more of those too, before production switches to Norwegian requirements, fingers crossed.
Most likely this will be Denmark’s future frigate. It’s got shared roots (Ivar Huitfeld —> A140 —> Type 31), some industrial links (OMT worked with Babcock to design the ship, so some of the spend will flow back home) and Denmark can’t afford Type 26 unlike Norway. I’d imagine it’d be an upgunned version, with a longer range radar, but something like it. The timing is right too.
That’s a good point Denmark will probably be shopping 5 frigates from 2030 onwards and essentially type 31 variants would allow it to essentially keep the same basic vessels, just updated. In the end Denmark no longer has the ability to build complex warships after Odense Staalskibsværft was closed post the last Iver Huitfeldt class build.
Why does everyone keep saying we need more T26?
Can only assume as growing sub threat in the Atlantic, Arctic, and Pacific. Eight ain’t enough. Eight gives us what, three on station?
Exactly 8 isn’t enough for anything. The original plan for 13 was more atune to requirements but just because we had allowed the RN to be reduced to just 8 ASW versions of type 23 all of a sudden 8 was all we apparently needed. Not forgetting that the last battle of the Atlantic involved nearly 2000 anti submarine allied vessels. So where we got this 8 from I just don’t know. It’s not grounded in any viable theory of what is required.
The RN needs the type 26 programme put back upto 12 or 13 ships.
“…Eight ain’t enough. Eight gives us what, three on station?…”
To go up to four frigates on station, without exhausting the crews, will require 12 T26 to be procured, but BAE does not have the capacity, for many more to be procured within the time-frame of 2035, after taking into account an prospective Norwegian order of 5 T26. The best we can hope for, is one more, T26 for the RN.
I would suggest otherwise…. If the honey pot of a further batch of Royal Navy Type 26’s, Norwegian 26’s and in the mid term the start of the future Air Warfare destroyer was on offer, then They have the option of starting to sub contract out further work…. I could foresee Babcock in Rosyth picking up a lot of the excess….. Whilst the type 31 is looking at being a successful ship design, 5 for the Royal Navy, up to 8 for the poles and 2 for the indosnesian’ s, unfortunately Rosyth is only building the Royal Navy ships and in a couple of years they will start to run out of work as HMS Campbeltown starts her construction journey….
I expect they’ll receive the MRSS contract, and perhaps part of the FADS concept. Potentially the Type 91 missile barges?
So , the CEO wants too build 31 type 31s ,only issue where’s the steel going too come from.?.
5,000 tonnes of steel in a T31 is a tiny amount. It won’t come from the UK for sure almost all our steel goes into railway tracks which is far far more important than providing small amounts for occasional build warships.
Am hoping the government is just waiting to see how T31 performs before adding more orders.