New Royal Navy ASW Frigate In The Water

HMS Cardiff, a new anti-submarine warfare (ASW) frigate being built for the British Royal Navy by BAE Systems, should by now have waves lapping at her hull for the first time.

The second of eight Type 26 City Class vessels being constructed for Royal Navy, HMS Cardiff was loaded onto a barge at Govan and towed down the River Clyde on Friday to a deep-water berth off the west coast of Scotland.

As per the firm's press statement, once in position yesterday (Monday) the barge was scheduled to sink, allowing water to float the vessel, which was then due to be towed back to the company's Scotstoun shipyard for further outfitting. Once that process is complete, she will then begin sea trials.

Type 26 Programme Director for BAE Systems David Shepherd said: “Seeing the latest ship in the water for the first time will be a proud and exciting moment for the thousands of people involved in this great national endeavour. The Type 26 has awesome and world-leading capability and we’re looking forward to installing HMS Cardiff’s complex systems and bringing her to life.”

Pat Browning, Type 26 Team Leader at Defence Equipment & Support, added: “We are delighted to have reached this key milestone in the build programme for HMS Cardiff.”

There are three other Type 26 vessels under construction: HMS Belfast and HMS Birmingham are under construction at Govan, while HMS Glasgow is already undergoing the outfit of its combat and mission systems at Scotstoun; she is expected to enter service in 2028. 

• You can read more details on the BAE Systems website