Construction on the fourth of the Royal Navy's eight Type 26 frigates has officially begun at BAE Systems’ Govan shipyard in Glasgow.
The steel cut, marking the official start of build on the future HMS Birmingham, was carried out by apprentice burner, Ciaran Baillie, accompanied by fabricator - plater Jamie Finnegan, with the attendance of British Minister for Defence Procurement Alex Chalk.
BAE Systems confirmed that work on the first three Type 26 ships is well under way with HMS Glasgow now at BAE Systems’ Scotstoun shipyard to have its complex systems installed, HMS Cardiff currently being assembled and HMS Belfast in its early construction phase. HMS Birmingham is the first ship to be constructed under a £4.2 billion ($7.37 billion) contract for the remaining five ships secured in November.
"This is yet another significant milestone for the Type 26 programme, supporting thousands of jobs in Scotland and across the wider UK supply chain," British Minister for Defence Procurement Alex Chalk said. "Working closely with our industry partners, we are bringing in a cutting-edge class of warships for the Royal Navy, bolstering our maritime capabilities into the coming decades."
"This is another proud moment for our talented teams across the UK who have played a part in the design and construction of these important vessels," Simon Lister, Managing Director of BAE Systems' Naval Ships business added. "HMS Birmingham will benefit from a range of investments that will transform our digital and physical infrastructure and consolidate a centre of excellence for shipbuilding skills here in the UK.
"Alongside my teams I’d like to thank our customers and suppliers for their expertise and commitment as we take this programme forward and deliver the next generation City Class frigates for the Royal Navy."
The first Type 26 City Class frigate, HMS Glasgow, began the float off process, which would see her enter the water for the first time, last November.
BAE Systems Australia is building nine anti-submarine warfare frigates based on the UK Type 26 design – known as the Hunter class – for the Royal Australian Navy.