New frigate crew follow the guns of Glasgow

The crew of Britain’s newest frigate, HMS Glasgow, embarked on a pilgrimage to the sites where the original HMS Glasgow fought 80 years ago during the D-Day landings.

In 1944, the Town-class cruiser HMS Glasgow supported US forces as they stormed Hitler’s Fortress Europe.

On D-Day, the cruiser’s 6-inch guns targeted Omaha Beach and later assisted American troops in capturing the Cotentin Peninsula and the key port of Cherbourg.

The modern-day crew of HMS Glasgow, the Royal Navy’s first Type 26 anti-submarine frigate currently undergoing fitting out on the Clyde, visited Querqueville. This heavily fortified area in 1944 was subjected to bombardment by the original HMS Glasgow, marking the cruiser’s last action of the Normandy campaign.

The battlefield tour concluded in Querqueville, involving both the crew and shipwrights involved in building the new HMS Glasgow. They visited France ahead of next month’s international commemorations, where world leaders will gather on the shores of Normandy.

The tour began at Sword Beach, where Glaswegians, including the famous piper Bill Millin, fought in the Normandy landings. The crew paid tribute to the fallen at Hermanville-sur-Mer Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery, with Marine Engineer Lieutenant Lee Clemens leading a short service of remembrance and placing a wreath on the grave of Lance Corporal Vincent Costello from Nitshill, Glasgow.

“It was a fantastic opportunity for both Ship’s Company and members of BAE Systems Maritime to learn about the history that the Royal Navy played during the D-Day events,” said HMS Glasgow Commander Phil Burgess, Senior Naval Officer.

“Hopefully this experience has helped bring both teams closer together and build that understanding and the importance that the Navy played and continues to play in warfare.”

HMS Glasgow is due to enter service later this decade as the first of eight vessels set to replace the current submarine-hunting Type 23 frigates.