Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has announced that a new Type 26 Frigate will be named HMS Birmingham.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

“Three of our nation’s ships have proudly borne the name Birmingham. Those ships won five battle honours. Today, in honour of this great city, we will be naming one of our eight Type 26 global combat ships HMS Birmingham.”

HMS Birmingham is the fourth of the UK’s eventual eight Type 26 frigates to be named, with HMS Glasgow, HMS Belfast and HMS Cardiff the first three to be built. The frigates will begin to enter service in the 2020s.

The MoD said in a release that all the ships are being constructed by BAE Systems on the Clyde in Scotland, where the project is guaranteeing 20 years of work and safeguarding over 4,000 jobs. HMS Birmingham will be part of the second batch of ships to be ordered in the early 2020s.

She will be the fourth ship to be named in honour of the city, with the first being launched in 1913 and playing a key role in the First World War. The last, a Type 42 destroyer, took part in a range of missions including safeguarding international shipping during the Iran-Iraq War and patrolling the Falkland Islands before leaving service in 1999.

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George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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Mark Shurville
Mark Shurville
5 years ago

Can the next one be HMS Gibraltar please…..

Gunbuster
Gunbuster
5 years ago

One of my former ships…it will be nice to see a Brum back in the fleet

Jack
Jack
5 years ago
Reply to  Gunbuster

To find out what the next 26 will be called we’ll have to wait until it’s announced where the Conservative party conference is next year if they are still in government.
If labour are in power Corbyn will probably hand our defence budget to Hamas and Hezbollah.
Glasgow, Cardiff, Belfast and now Birmingham, all big and important British cities, no doubt but what about an HMS London ?
I know we have Westminster but it isn’t the same.

Evan P
Evan P
5 years ago
Reply to  Jack

If there is one thing Cardiff isn’t, it’s big!

andy reeves
4 years ago
Reply to  Jack

corbyn is an utter co**

Billy Smith
Billy Smith
4 years ago
Reply to  Jack

Your wish was granted – Batch 2 is HMS Birmingham, Sheffield, Newcastle, Edinburgh, London. Time for a new theme for Batch 3? HMS GTA 6, HMS Fortnite perhaps?

andy reeves
5 years ago
Reply to  Gunbuster

i hope its painted claret and blue!!

Kev "Rhino" Ridsdill
4 years ago
Reply to  Gunbuster

My old ship too, now i am the Chairman of the HMS Birmingham Association.
always looking for new members that served on the Brum, from 1913, C19, & D86. http://www.hmsbirminghamassociation.co.uk

Derek
Derek
5 years ago

Naming a ship that hasn’t even been ordered yet? Has that ever happened before?

Levi Goldsteinberg
Levi Goldsteinberg
5 years ago
Reply to  Derek

All the time

David Taylor
David Taylor
5 years ago
Reply to  Derek

Sometimes ships on the slip even change names.

There is a committee that decides all this stuff and it is taken very seriously.

Derek
Derek
5 years ago
Reply to  David Taylor

Not unusual then. Thanks guys.

andy
andy
5 years ago

we need more including a few extra destroyers

Paul Bestwick
Paul Bestwick
5 years ago

Perhaps there might be orders once the MDP is completed.

andy reeves
5 years ago
Reply to  Paul Bestwick

i would like to see a ship called gibraltar

Callum
Callum
5 years ago

So in order (with some extra speculation, feel free to add other suggestions):
1. HMS Glasgow
2. HMS Cardiff
3. HMS Belfast
4. HMS Birmingham
5. HMS London*
6. HMS Edinburgh*
7. HMS Plymouth*
8. HMS Sheffield*

Steve Salt
Steve Salt
5 years ago
Reply to  Callum

Definately Plymouth but some of the 42`s old names would be good.
Exeter
Manchester
York
Newcastle
Coventry
Sheffield

Lots to play with really.

Alan Reid
Alan Reid
5 years ago
Reply to  Steve Salt

I’d certainly vote for Exeter & Plymouth. A lot of history and gravitas in those names.

BB85
BB85
5 years ago
Reply to  Alan Reid

We could kill two birds with one stone and have HMS Londonderry, that would go down well. Has a naming convention been released for the T31 Frigates? I can’t remember.

Callum
Callum
5 years ago
Reply to  BB85

No naming convention for the Type 31s yet. The most likely options for a name scheme are alphabetical (should technically be E-class after the Darings, but we have survey ships using that convention, so F-class would probably be used) or mythology-based (especially likely if the BAE Leander design is chosen).

Lusty
Lusty
5 years ago
Reply to  Steve Salt

Plymouth, Truro, Gibraltar, Londonderry (as suggested by BB85, great idea!)

It would be nice to have a Sheffield/Coventry, but those ships have already been honoured. I’d like to see the T31 frigates receive names from the Falklands (Ardent, Antelope, etc).

David Taylor
David Taylor
5 years ago
Reply to  Lusty

Gibraltar and Londonderry would be problematic politically.

Saying that a new dock ship called HMS San Carlos would be amusing.

Lusty
Lusty
5 years ago
Reply to  David Taylor

Pardon my French, but sod political politeness!

But yes, that would be amusing.

Steven
Steven
5 years ago
Reply to  David Taylor

LOL, must not upset the Spanish must we. I mean their behaviour is impeccable when it comes to Gibraltar isn’t it.

David Taylor
David Taylor
5 years ago
Reply to  David Taylor

@ Lusty

Just to clarify I think Gibraltar would be a fantastic name. The last HMS Gibraltar was never built.

And the last fourteen or so years of the last HMS Londonderry corresponded with the first fourteen years of the Troubles. But as the ship was already in service when ‘civil strife’ broke out and I think by that time we were beyond upsetting our Republican ‘friends’.

FWIW I would have preferred the second carrier to be called HMS Eagle.

Keithdwat
Keithdwat
5 years ago
Reply to  David Taylor

Gibraltar is a fantastic name, I hope it is picked but Londonderry will never be picked and HMS Derry/Londonderry/Doire (as it is being called these days) doesn’t sound right.

Callum
Callum
5 years ago
Reply to  Lusty

Ardent and Antelope are unlikely, which is a shame, but another A-class when we already have that theme for the Astutes is unlikely

Lusty
Lusty
5 years ago
Reply to  Callum

Just to respond to David, I do agree. Gibraltar would be a fantastic name given the current political climate, and would do wonders for strengthening the bond. I do believe we should be able to name our ships after parts of our country or overseas territories despite the protests of the minority. As much as I would like ‘Londonderry’ (as it would give two fingers to our Republican ‘friends’), I can’t see it happening. It’ll probably be another English town, Exeter would be nice. As for another ‘A’ class, I was merely following the naming format from the ‘Arrowhead’ project;… Read more »

Callum
Callum
5 years ago
Reply to  Callum

Lusty, you’ve just given me a flash of inspiration. I hadn’t made the connection before, but Arrowhead isn’t just an A-class name. It also fits in a Weapon-class series.

It’s worth remembering that the individual company names mean nothing. It’s still up to the naming committee. The Arrowhead design could easily end up as HMS Leander

Mr Bell
Mr Bell
5 years ago
Reply to  Steve Salt

That is why we need more than 8 of these warships. Can we order in the Aussie variant which is a much more capable and heavily armed general purpose warship with good quality air defence and surface strike capabilities. Say 8 of the ASA optimised versions and 8 of the more capable Aussie version.
Come on we should definitely be doing that.

Callum
Callum
5 years ago
Reply to  Mr Bell

So an additional 8 £1bn+ warships, and the only facility that could build them is fully booked for the next 2 decades. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love an additional 8 Type 26 ASW frigates, but there’s not really a need to make them a bit more capable for a extra cost. The Hunter only has one real advatage over the T26: better radar, and for an ASW frigate that’s not really a massive deal. The other two minor advatages: ship mounted torpedoes, and technically 8 more strike lengh VLS but it also needs to accommodate AA weapons in those… Read more »

andy reeves
5 years ago
Reply to  Callum

bradford,furious,fearless temeraire,revenge,gibraltar.

Dylan Sargesson
Dylan Sargesson
5 years ago
Reply to  andy reeves
Levi Goldsteinberg
Levi Goldsteinberg
5 years ago

Alternatively, HMS Islamabad

Levi Goldsteinberg
Levi Goldsteinberg
5 years ago

Or indeed HMS Lahore, I’m not picky

GWM
GWM
5 years ago

Looks like we will get 4 then.

Dean
Dean
5 years ago

the more names the better, its harder to cancel a named ship

JohnG
5 years ago
Reply to  Dean

My thoughts too

farouk
farouk
5 years ago

The MoD said in a release that all the ships are being constructed by BAE Systems on the Clyde in Scotland, where the project is guaranteeing 20 years of work

20 Years to build 8 ships?

Nigel Collins
Nigel Collins
5 years ago
Reply to  farouk

At the rate we build them, plus the glue we use…!

Steven
Steven
5 years ago
Reply to  Nigel Collins

It takes a long time to superglue all those bolt heads back on ! Has there been any updates on that story and what the hell happened ?

expat
expat
5 years ago
Reply to  Steven

You won’t hear anything, BAe took 15m hit but I doubt anyone was fired. Not a big fan of the Leander design but I hope Cammell Liard get the T31 as I think they’ll do great job building them. Shame it wasn’t CL proposing Arrowhead.

Mark L
Mark L
5 years ago
Reply to  farouk

Blame George Osborne for the slow build rate. The original plan was one a year but the Treasury wanted to minimise year on year expenditure. In the end it costs a lot more because a build rate this slow just isn’t efficient.

Geoff
Geoff
5 years ago

I’d like to see HMS Southampton make it into the 8

Dave
Dave
5 years ago

Anson, Hood, Vanguard, Indefatigable, Royal Sovereign, Churchill, Ark Royal, Revenge, so many to choose from such a long line of heritage.

Clive Cobbold
Clive Cobbold
5 years ago

I,d would like to see hms Londonderry and hms Antrim to make it in to the 8

Helions
Helions
5 years ago

An HMS Helions Bumpstead would be nice!

Cheers!

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli
5 years ago

Never liked the city names myself.

I prefer more “fighty” names or mythological ones.

By comparison the T45 names are great.

MR C G FERGUSON
MR C G FERGUSON
5 years ago

HMS come and have a go ?

I agree 😀

Alan Reid
Alan Reid
5 years ago

Agreed, Daniele … I particularly like Dauntless, Dragon and Defender!
And I’m looking forward to an Agamemnon back in the fleet from the mid-2020s.
(And I still hope for an Ajax!)

Callum
Callum
5 years ago
Reply to  Alan Reid

If you’re hoping for Ajax to be a submarine, unfortunately the last Astute has already been named HMS Agincourt. However, if we get a new Leander class, Ajax would definitely be high on the list due to the battle honours associated with the name, including Jutland and the River Plate.

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli
5 years ago
Reply to  Alan Reid

Exactly Alan. Defender! What a good name. Instead….Birmingham.

Interesting no London yet Cardiff Glasgow Belfast already as biggest cities for the other nations. Why?

I Roth
4 years ago

Then you have the personnel to fill the ship. There would be plenty from Birmingham.The citizens would get involved and there would be a snowball effect. Where would the defenders numbers come from. Get the whole country involved with a City name. Birmingham is a great name.

Gunbuster
Gunbuster
5 years ago

HMS Duncan…a fighty name? Really?

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli
5 years ago
Reply to  Gunbuster

I didn’t list Duncan though did I Gunbuster.

My point in 45 names still stands for the other 5 though.

Agree worst of the 6.

Steve Salt
Steve Salt
5 years ago
Reply to  Gunbuster

Adam Duncan, admiral in command at the Battle of Camperdown, after Trafalgar one of the Royal Navy`s greatest victory`s.
I`d say that was `fighty` enough.

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli
5 years ago
Reply to  Steve Salt

I didn’t know the historical background, thank you.

I still prefer the other 5!

Lusty
Lusty
5 years ago

Appreciate the Historical background, but still, can we sneak a HMS Demon back into the fleet?

Gunbuster
Gunbuster
5 years ago
Reply to  Steve Salt

Warship naming is always a subject for much debate.
I knew the background of the naming history but of all the T45 names Duncan is the one that attracts the sniggers in the fleet.
It could be worse …I served on Beaver and Brazen…Brazen had a helo called hussy and the wrens proudly declared themselves as Hussies when serving on board.
As for the other…the US Navy loved us calling a ship Beaver ” you guys named your ship after p**sy”

ben beever
ben beever
5 years ago

They should call one (hms upper thong ) it,s a place in Yorkshire .bet the sailors would love that name.

Pacman27
Pacman27
5 years ago

How about this for a bit of radical thinking.. Give the ships a number only and each has 3 crews assigned and the crews have the names. So a T26 has a target crew size or 120 personnel and each has 3 crews Crew 1. HMS Sheffield Crew 2. HMS York Crew 3. HMS Leeds And you just rotate the guys through cycles to get harmonisation rates to a point where people like gunbusters want to stay (allied to improved conditions and pay of course). To man all 8 ships its 2520 sailors, each crew gets 1 x 4 month… Read more »

Callum
Callum
5 years ago
Reply to  Pacman27

That’s… very radical indeed. Aside from the increase in sailors needed at a time when crewing the fleet is proving difficult, it clashes with the sense of “your” ship that makes big chunks of metal and machine feel like they matter. What you suggest makes for more of a rental mindset.

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli
5 years ago
Reply to  Pacman27

I hate that idea!

David Taylor
David Taylor
5 years ago
Reply to  Pacman27

Vice-Admiral Sir Louis Le Bailly in a paper once explored the idea of turning crews into regiments. A ‘returning regiment’ would help to train the ‘deploying regiment’. And the former then would go on to leave, courses, etc. A new (or former) regiment would (re)form would be come the ‘deploying regiment’ and so on.

I think the current system works really. The USN experimented with USCG manning and it didn’t work very well.

https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2017-06/good-riddance-rotational-crews

Gunbuster
Gunbuster
5 years ago
Reply to  Pacman27

The MCMVs do crew swaps. The ship remains the same only the crew number changes. Its a lot easier that way.

No need to change the letterheads, BFPO numbers, signal addresses etc…Changing names would be an admin nightmare. Just change the crews

T.S
5 years ago

I’ve always fancied an HMS Bognor Regis. We could have a class of warships named after tacky seaside resorts. HMS Weston Super Mare?

David Taylor
David Taylor
5 years ago
Reply to  T.S

During WW2 the pier in Bognor was commissioned as HMS St Barbara; the latter is the patron saint of gunners and gunnery. (St Barbara’s is the little church in HMS Excellent,)

farouk
farouk
5 years ago
Reply to  T.S

HMS Newcastle sounds excellent. and before anybody replies, I refer to Newcastle County Down and its a right dump

Jonathan
Jonathan
5 years ago

Well I suppose if you have not gotten around to building the thing, giving it a name is the best you can do.

Bill
Bill
5 years ago

HMS Milton Keynes HMS Diversity and HMS Gender Fluidity. Probably all ahead of HMS London. It’s only the bloody capital after all.

Lusty
Lusty
5 years ago
Reply to  Bill

Don’t forget HMS Peoples Vote, HMS Pride, HMS Cooperate with Gerry Adams.

Oh and the ever venerable HMS Gosport Ferry.

Ron Prophet
Ron Prophet
5 years ago

Whatever happened to HMS Liverpool? The crazy chicken DOES have a history!

Gunbuster
Gunbuster
5 years ago

You could always go for the old naval favorites of the Massive or the Humongous

Basil
5 years ago

Im delighted the name Birmingham is to return, city names are a good choice which helps to bond the Navy with the public. However I dont like the way polititans are starting to use the naming process for political means, obviously no coincidence the name Birmingham held back until the party conference( the name was decided along with the previous three). This is a dangerous path to follow as it will have a negative public effect when a particular town or region is out of favour to the incumbent government hence a truly traditional naval name will be overlooked. As… Read more »

Andy
Andy
5 years ago

Disappointing choice. Why are recreating T42 names? (bar Belfast).
If they want cities why not

Lincoln
Salisbury
Canterbury
Plymouth
Lichfield
Winchester
Chester

No not likely. The next will be Manchester Sheffield Liverpool Gloucester. I’ll put next months wages on it. As per the carriers, no imagination again from the Sea Lords.

Ron
Ron
5 years ago

For the T26’s it would be good to see an Exeter and Southampton back in the fleet. I understand the issue with London as I find it strange but then again Glasgow is not the capital of Scotland. It is also possible that although London is a city it is also technically as far as I am aware in naming terms a county, the last HMS London that I know of was a county class cruiser. So possibly that is the issue. I would love to see a Gibraltar also, that would stir things up a bit. As for the… Read more »

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli
5 years ago
Reply to  Ron

Last HMS London was a batch 2 T22, along with the T22s Sheffield and Coventry replacing the Falklands victims.

I’d considered that indeed Glasgow is not the capital.

It is the largest city though. Like London. Like Cardiff. Like Belfast.

I hope I’m wrong but I fear PC claptrap agsin because if we have a Cardiff Glasgow Belfast we must have a London.

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli
5 years ago

And I agree on Gibraltar.

Basil
5 years ago

interestingly in recent times MOD have wandered from the traditional warship names, frequently they are adding additional names to established linage, examples being Agincourt to the A class subs, Tyne and Forth to traditional River class escorts, Tideforce to the tide class RFAs, Duncan a traditional Captain name to the Daring class T45, and if course QE and POW, The first time such capital ship names have been used amongst carriers. I think the revival of colony / dominion names would be a bridge too far, politically fraught as who gets named and who is left out? If they are… Read more »

Albion
Albion
5 years ago

Bemused that ‘London’ has not been chosen, as that would have been all the capital cities of the UK together.
As for T31 – how about ‘Fearless’ class

Basil
5 years ago

Now that it has been announced that the T26 eill be based at Devonport, I find it quite ridiculous that Portsmouth city council ate kicking up a fuss about ” losing the T26 frigatrs”. 1. They never had them. 2 portsmouth has the lions share: 2 carriers, all the t45, mine hunters, opvs. Yet Devonport only has the Two assault ships,( 1 in reserve) three survey vessels and 8 frigates. Surely Portsmouth can see the benefits of keeping Devonport open and can continue with it’s excellent frigate expertise. There is still enough work for both.