WATCH: New Royal Navy Type 26 warship HMS Cardiff being transported up River Clyde as construction continues

HMS Cardiff, a Type 26 frigate being built in Scotland, was sailed along the River Clyde last weekend. The submarine hunter was lifted onto a barge - the largest of its type in Europe - from the BAE Systems’ Govan shipyard for Loch Long and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) facility.

She was carefully lowered into the water in a delicate float-off operation. Afterwards, HMS Cardiff was escorted by tug up the river to the Scotstoun facility on the north bank of the Clyde. Shipwrights, technicians, engineers, and the new members of the ship’s company, will then install and commission the systems aboard ship.

The vessel is the second out of eight ships being produced for the Royal Navy to replace their Type 23 counterparts. David Shepherd, Type 26 Programme Director for BAE Systems, was pleased to see HMS Cardiff on the water. “Seeing the latest ship in the water for the first time is a proud and exciting moment for the thousands of people involved in this great national endeavour,” he added.

“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.” You can watch the video by scrolling to the top of this article.