HMS Cardiff has set off from Glasgow as she prepares to enter the water for the first time.
The ship is the second of eight Type 26 frigates being built at BAE Systems for the Royal Navy.
She was recently transferred by a team of engineering specialists from the shipyard slipway to a barge to begin the float-off process.
The barge has now departed from Glasgow and will be towed down the River Clyde to a deep-water location in the West of Scotland.
Once in position, and over a number of hours, the barge will submerge and the anti-submarine warfare frigate will enter the water.
HMS Cardiff, which has Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins as her official sponsor, will then return to BAE Systems’ Scotstoun shipyard where she will undergo the next stages of outfit before testing and commissioning.
David Shepherd, Type 26 Programme Director, BAE Systems, 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.”
READ NEXT: I toured the new submarine hunter being built on the Clyde
The float-off process is a modern, efficient, and low-risk way for ships to enter the water compared to the previous dynamic launches where ships were slid down a slipway and into the water.
This process was used for the first-of-class HMS Glasgow in November 2022 as well as five Offshore Patrol Vessels, which BAE Systems also built in Glasgow.
The float-off process will be supported by engineers from the UK Ministry of Defence’s Defence Equipment & Support as well as members of the Royal Navy.
Pat Browning, Type 26 team leader, Defence Equipment & Support, said: "We are delighted to have reached this key milestone in the build programme for HMS Cardiff.
“This is a significant achievement for the entire Type 26 programme team and is a moment we can all be proud of, as we continue to work towards delivering the new fleet of the Royal Navy’s most cutting-edge anti-submarine warfare frigates.”
Three Type 26 vessels are currently under construction in Glasgow.
HMS Glasgow is undergoing the outfit of its combat and mission systems at Scotstoun, HMS Belfast and HMS Birmingham are under construction in Govan.
The process of building each ship involves its structure being completed in Govan where skilled teams of fabricators and steelworkers construct the units before they are assembled into two main blocks.
READ NEXT: Glasgow ship workers welcome famous singer for visit
These are then joined together externally on the hardstanding before the ship departs.
HMS Cardiff will be the last Type 26 to have this initial work partly constructed outside as the new multi-million-pound ship-build hall in Govan will allow teams to complete the structures of the remaining frigates indoors.
In Scotstoun, the ship’s outfit is completed and the complex systems are installed before test and commissioning takes place.
HMS Glasgow, as the first ship in class, is expected to enter service in 2028.
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here