Royal Navy: New Type 26 frigate HMS Cardiff to enter the water for the first time off the coast of Scotland

The Royal Navy’s newest Type 26 frigate, HMS Cardiff, will be sailing in the open sea off the coast of Scotland. Specialists will be transferring the warship from the slipway at BAE Systems’ Govan shipyard on to a barge, which will then be towed down river to a deep-water location in the West of the country.

The barge will then be submerged and HMS Cardiff - a City-class frigate designed for anti-submarine warfare - will enter the water. 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.” The Type 26 frigates are considered some of the most advanced vessels being constructed for the Royal Navy.

Alongside HMS Cardiff, seven other vessels being built including HMS Glasgow, Belfast, Birmingham, Sheffield, Newcastle, Edinburgh and London. The first three ships are due to enter the fleet before 2030, with the others expected during that decade. Former minister for defence procurement, James Cartlidge, previously said all the ships are expected to enter service between 2028 and 2035.

The float off process for HMS Cardiff to enter the water was used for HMS Glasgow in November 2022. Engineers from the UK Ministry of Defence’s Defence Equipment & Support and Royal Navy personnel will be on hand for the launch.

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.”

The build process for the Type 26 ships involves skilled teams of fabricators and steelworkers constructing the units before they are assembled into two main blocks. These are then joined together externally on the hardstanding before the ship departs. After the sailing, HMS Cardiff will then head to the Scotstoun shipyard so her systems can be installed before testing and commissioning takes place.