The first of the Royal Navy’s new Type 31 frigates, the future HMS Venturer, has taken another big step towards operational readiness with the installation of her foremast.
As per a press statement from shipbuilder Babcock International, the 24-tonne mast was recently wheeled out of the build hall at its facility in Rosyth, Scotland, and then winched into position on the warship as she sat in dry dock during her ongoing fitting-out process.
The statement noted: “With the foremast now in place, the profile of HMS Venturer is nearing completion, offering a visible sign of momentum as we continue with the outfitting of the ship ahead of sea trials next year.
“The successful lift and integration of the foremast required close coordination between several specialist engineering and lifting teams.”
And Arrowhead Managing Director at Babcock Paul Watson added: “HMS Venturer will play an important part in the Royal Navy’s defence capabilities.
“The foremast installation on the vessel marks another important milestone and clearly demonstrates the progress being made across the Type 31 programme.”
The 140-metre vessel, which was rolled out of the construction shed at Babcock’s shipyard in Rosyth, Scotland, at the end of May, was floated off and lowered into the water in Leith the following month before being towed back to the Rosyth shipyard to continue to her outfitting and systems integration.
At the roll-out, Chief Executive of Babcock Marine Sir Nick Hine admitted: “There is a moment of wonder, even for a lifelong sailor like me, to see a new Royal Navy ship taking to the water for the first time.”
He added: “HMS Venturer’s first entry into the water is a clear demonstration of UK sovereign capability in action and the depth, resilience and expertise within Babcock’s Marine business.
“This latest milestone exhibits the excellent progress being made across our multi-build programme, which will see us deliver five complex warships for the Royal Navy within a decade.”
The lead ship of the Inspiration class, Venturer’s Arrowhead 140 design is an evolution of the Iver Huitfeldt-class frigates in service with the Danish Navy. She has a 5,700-tonne displacement and will be able to achieve a maximum speed of roughly 26 knots.
Her construction has required 26,000 metres of pipe — that’s almost three times the height of Everest — and enough cable to run the length of Loch Ness ten times over. She’s also covered in about 5,000 litres of paint.
In service, she will be operated by a crew of around 100-120, with additional space for a further 40 personnel. As Commander Chris Cozens, then the HMS Venturer’s Senior Naval Officer, has previously noted: “A broad statistic that we’ve figured out is that we’re 60% larger in size, as in tonnage and physical size to a Type 23, but we will be operating with about 60% of the ship’s company.”
- You can read more details about the Type 31 programme on the Babcock website
- Download our free “Frigates Of The Future” report featuring an in-depth interview with Cdr. Cozens