HMS Cardiff, the second Type 26 City Class frigate, is starting to look the part as the vessel continues construction in Govan, Glasgow.
The ship is undergoing structural work before being floated and transported to BAE Systems’ Scotstoun facility for outfitting.
For the avoidance of doubt, the drone footage was obtained legally by a qualified person in adherence to UK drone legislation and guidance. In addition, the drone is insured, and a flight plan was submitted using drone safety software.
Simon Lister, Managing Director of BAE Systems’ Naval Ships business, previously expressed pride and satisfaction in the progress.
“The emergence of HMS Cardiff is a very proud moment for everyone involved in her construction. We have now completed all major units of the ship and in the coming weeks our skilled teams will consolidate the ship in preparation for next year’s float off,” Lister said.
The first Type 26 frigate, HMS Glasgow, is currently being outfitted at BAE Systems’ Scotstoun facility. The construction of the eight Type 26 frigates is expected to last to the mid-2030s. HMS Glasgow is anticipated to be the first of the fleet to join the Royal Navy in the mid-2020s. HMS Cardiff will be the last frigate to have its hull sections integrated in the open air on the hardstand.
This is due to the construction of a new £100m-plus ship build hall at the Govan site, which will allow the integration process for the remaining six ships to take place under cover, making it less susceptible to weather conditions.
BAE Systems recently unveiled its annual financial results, highlighting a year of substantial growth for the firm. The company reported a 9% increase in sales, totalling £25.3 billion, and an 8% rise in operating profit to £2.6 billion for the period ending December 31.
Alongside these financial milestones, BAE Systems noted expansion in its order book, which now stands at £58 billion, up £9.1 billion from the previous year. Charles Woodburn, BAE Systems Chief Executive, shared his enthusiasm for the company’s performance over the past year:
“We’ve delivered a strong operational and financial performance in 2023 and I’m extremely proud of the way our people have delivered cutting-edge equipment and services to our customers, working together with partners across our supply chain. Our performance, combined with our global footprint and record order intake, means we’re well-positioned for sustained growth in the coming years. We’ll keep driving the business forward, investing in new technologies, facilities and our people. This will help us deliver on our order backlog and help ensure our government customers stay ahead in an uncertain world, whilst delivering increased value to our shareholders and the communities where we operate.”
“The UK Type 26 programme continues and construction is underway on the first four City Class Type 26 frigates, with a focus on skilled and experienced resource availability, including within the supply chain. HMS Glasgow is progressing through the key stages of outfit, test and commissioning, while HMS Cardiff is being prepared to enter the water for the first time in 2024. Following steel cut in June 2021, HMS Belfast continues steelwork construction, while the initial unit construction for HMS Birmingham began in April and is well underway.”
On the new shipbuilding hall, the report states:
“We continue investing in our people and facilities to better enable us to deliver on our customer commitments and secure the long-term future for complex shipbuilding in Glasgow. Construction of a new ship assembly hall in Govan is well underway, and the new Applied Shipbuilding Academy in Scotstoun is planned to open in 2024.”
Seems to be old news , when exactly is Cardiff being floated out and what’s the update for completion of outfitting on Glasgow and projected sea trial dates .
Old news? The photos were taken less than 24 hours ago.
Okay? That’s fantastic, amazing and great.
But I think John’s point was that various sources, including this site, have reported the float out already – specifically on 22 February. John just wants to know the projected dates, which will be dependent on a multitude of factors as they progress in build.
Could you not be passive-aggressive? Cheers.
Sorry. I don’t mean to sound rude or passive-aggressive, but you can come across badly at times when you defend your own articles. And I get that, it’s your work, your site.
All this is not needed. Let’s just enjoy the content and engage with you and the admin team in a positive manner – without the casual sniping from everyone.
Not interested in the photos , I can see the progress anytime standing across from the yard , what I want to see are stage completion dates for each phase of progress, BAE are boasting that they can complete these ships on time and in budget , let’s see the target dates for Glasgow as the bench mark .
John, I think there’s been a mixup here, I’m only responsible for content on my own website. You decide what goes on yours.
I don’t have any website , yours always quotes the progress being made at BAE systems with regards to warship build and new facilities , so it looks like you have good contacts within the business , hence I would assume that you would be able obtain the schedule phase completion dates for Glasgow , that’s why I asked.
Guys! Chill pill time.
Great photos George, thank you.
What I want to know is could production under a covered hall speed up construction so much that a substantial time builds up causing a gap between T26 completion and T83 build commencement?
And if it did and Chancellor STILL has £8Bn in the bank and, T26 cost have gone down, could we now suggest/lobby B3 T26 as an interim build?
It is becoming daily news now about Defence in MSN, can this not be leveraged as a good Con legacy?
Only recently joined UKDJ so had to read up a bit on the Type 26. Bit different from the Cardiff I was on 40 years ago!
Thanks..
Regarding previous comments, I’m glad I’m not the only one who has a few ‘ Ding Dongs’ on here 🤭
I happen to agree with John by the way!!
Easily done when passions come out!
Sounds like (may not be the case) that pace is picking up and we will start seeing vessels actually in the water and eventually joining the fleet rather than all being in the distance just over the hill but not quite there yet.
Wars looming, the truth is we need ships, even bloody silly little ones with sh… Loads of phalanx…. Ww2s Atlantic battle was Not won by the big ships…..
Yes…..we need to get numbers up …..but capable numbers…..not a hull that would be just making up numbers and would lack capability in attack & defence
Good to see the T26’s starting to come together and hopefully the government will wake up are realise we need more ships in service as soon as possible, my major worry though is will we even be able to man them when they come online.