According to a recent update from Babcock, significant progress has been made on the construction of HMS Active, the second Type 31 frigate being built for the Royal Navy.
Recent accomplishments in the construction process include the completion of hot work on the deck of the ship’s two engine rooms.
Babcock says this phase involved extensive welding and cutting operations, which are essential for the vessel’s structural integrity. Following this, the team undertook a rigorous four-week blast and paint cycle. Notably, the update also mentioned the installation of the first of the main engines.
The Type 31 team recently completed a number of key activities on HMS Active, the second ship in the programme. The team completed hot work on the deck of the ship’s two engine rooms and a four-week blast and paint cycle before lifting the first of the main engines into place. pic.twitter.com/kgwHXABWYc
— Babcock International (@Babcockplc) May 10, 2024
The construction of HMS Active, named to symbolise the forward deployment of ships overseas, commenced with a steel-cutting ceremony on January 23, 2023, at Rosyth Dockyard. The work is being carried out alongside first-in-class HMS Venturer in the state-of-the-art Venturer Hall, which is equipped to build two ships simultaneously.
They really are cracking on with these, I have high hopes (as do we all I am sure) for T31. Heres hoping more are ordered!, I know I can dream!
Its a real shame that Australia seem to have ruled them out of their frigate procurement now they have reduced their T26 order.
Venturer is actually behind schedule – she was supposed to be floated out by end of 2023.
Covid played a part in that. The overall programme is generally on track though, and within budget.
Which Budget though ? its already been revised twice 🤔
Just shows that when you have the invested in the right infrastructure, you can rapidly construct ships etc in a timely and precise manner. Let’s hope that once the BAe shed in Glasgow is up and running we will see a similar outcome and output.
Just remember that if you build them too quickly you run out of orders.
Yes I get that, but once you prove you can do it, chances are more orders will come I
Unfortunately that’s not really the case. Manning and budgets are harsh rulers. Whether you can knock out a frigate in 5 years or 8 years has less to do with follow on orders than whether the Royal Navy has the staff to operate additional vessels, and the budget to order more and keep them running.
Babcock getting the Inspirations into service quickly will unfortunately have little bearing on whether the RN decides to order the T32s or not.
But with 50 to 60% the crew of the type 23s replacement of type 23GP with T31 will reduce demand/ theoretically increase capacity. Fleet of Dreams….build them and they will come ! Or put another way, good conditions with good kit and a stable future and recruitment…or more significantly retention, will be less problematic And as we all know, quicker unit construction timelines generally results in lower unit costs. That should be of interest to MOD ..allowing batch 2 Rivers to replace Batch 1. Type 31 to replace Rivers Batch 2 in their current role and T32 replaces T31 in… Read more »
Agree automation should enable a leaner crewing requirement and therefore more vessels could theoretically be manned. I think a couple more type 26 and another batch of 5 type 31s are easily within realms of possibility, especially with defence budget increasing…albeit too late to affect immediate change. The budget should have gone up to the proposed £75 billion the very second Russia invaded Ukraine.
Dont hold your breath on crew numbers . T23 had a lot less crew allocated to T23 when initial brought into service than it has now. There was a lot of double /triple hat wearing back then! Nowadays extra crew has meant the need to convert storerooms and electronic equipment rooms to bunk spaces for all the extras. That also affects heads, bathrooms, catering, hotel services etc…something not envisioned at build . With T31 (And T26) the core crew will be smaller but then you start adding in PODS units and the people to operate those and the crew numbers… Read more »
Bringing them in roughly to budget means that TreasuryMan(TM) can’t insist on huge contingency being set aside which is then clawed back when it isn’t spent.
Clawed back or not, still part of the Defence budget
Same with the Typhoon assembly lines though but for those we continue to chase export orders.
The more efficient your production is the more chance you have of getting export orders. Doesn’t even have to be warships ships the big net zero push will need offshore support vessels.
True, but the Aircraft and Shipping businesses are very different markets alas.
You are always sooo positive, English spirit I suppose, build build and build. Fuck all the crap, if needed people will be there in this island nation…..
Sorry you can’t deal with people pointing out the reality. If you want fantasy I can recommend the Tolkien or Harry Potter forums?
Even with these built the numbers still look awful. If these type 31 take over the river batch 2 roles it still only leaves some type 23 and 26s for all other missions.
I’m not convinced all the current river taskings need a frigate.
With another 3-5 orders crews could be found and it will give rosyth work for another few years. Obviously that would require a budget allocation/increase which is extremely unlikely with the current bunch.
I mean personally I don’t think the Type 31 should take over from the River B2s. Instead we should look to building a new set of OPV’s that will replace the B2’s, but could that be funded?
National Shipbuilding Strategy calls for a steady drumbeat of orders/construction.. This is vital to maintain the skills base and also to avoid the ‘feast and famine’ that has been happening in shipyards. It could be that the new ships that are being built will serve for somewhere in the region of 20 years and then sold/replaced by new orders further downstream.. the steady drumbeat.
Indeed, that’s why although building quickly is good, but too quickly is bad because if the ship building drumbeat exceeds the order drumbeat then the yard closes down.
But now we have a glut of orders to serve into the 2030s likely with insufficient yard capability to service, and then Boom, or is it Bust. A steady drumbeat lasting 30 years seems unlikely, however good it sounds.
Its not all about output, new welding robots for instance will drive down costs, not needing to move big sections of hull around with adds nothing to build reduces time and costs.
Im really hoping that once the sheds are built a follow on order for a couple more type 26s will materialise.
It’s just a pity that all overtime and shifts are being cut because the company is trying to save money
The Type 31 Frigates are really superb ships and I can’t wait to see them come into service. Here is a link to a youtube video of the Iver Huitfeldt Class, on which the Type 31 is based.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMNoHCV9Vnc
Its a bit ridiculous, the RN needs more frigates, and yet we have a perfectly excellent design, being built at speed with the correct weapons fit for patrol and presence duties and yet HMG under the piss poor Tories haven’t ordered a second batch. Just get it done already.
Perhaps a second batch with a bit more ASW optimisation or just the same as original batch and more type 26 or bring the type 32 programme forward. Regardless we definitely should be ordering another batch of type 31s.
Again this subject has been covered extensively on here – the logic being that it is best to wait for Venturer to hit the water and undergo Sea Trials,then the MOD/RN can see exactly what it is getting for the money,then they can make a judgement on a follow up batch,you don’t want them to be contractually commited to a complete Lemon do you ?.
Staffed with who exactly? RN is in a manpower crisis.
Hi Chris
look around other gov. departments for money.. scrap diversity mangers…civil servants working from home watching Netflix..clear out 75 MPs… House of Lords reduced by 70%… scrap Police and Crime commissioners….. that’s 3 Type 31 crews sorted…. any other waste of spacers