Naval frigate will 'restore confidence' in Glasgow's shipbuilding industry
The first steel for the HMS Birmingham was cut in Govan's shipyard
Last updated 4th Apr 2023
It is hoped faith in Glasgow's shipbuilding industry can be restored, as work begins on a new naval warship in Govan.
BAE Systems is officially beginning work on HMS Birmingham, which is the fourth of eight naval frigates to be built on the River Clyde, under a £4.2 billion contract.
It comes after a flurry of delays to CalMac ferries which has attracted negative media attention.
It's hoped the frigates being built on the Clyde will help the Royal Navy stand up to "bullies" like Russia, UK minister Alex Chalk said, as the first steel was cut for the warship.
The minister for defence procurement said Glasgow's shipbuilding is "burning brighter than ever".
First steel cut
Hundreds of shipyard workers gathered in its fabrication building as two apprentices cut the first steel sheets which will house the ship's propulsion units.
One of which was Ciaran Baillie, who encountered technical issues while cutting the steel in front of the crowd.
He said: "When I went up to go spark it, it wouldn't start - that could only happen to me.
"Through my peers we managed to get recovered and the cut went reasonably well, but it was an honour to be asked to do it.
"It shows how much the company values it's apprentices."
New generation of frigates
HMS Birmingham, which will be the fourth Royal Navy ship to bear that name, will be part of a new generation of eight submarine-hunting frigates.
The first of these, HMS Glasgow, was launched late last year and is currently being fitted out at the BAE yard in Scotstoun.
Speaking to journalists after the ceremony, Mr Chalk said: "This is probably the best anti-submarine warship anywhere in the world.
"We want to ensure that we send a message to Russia that if it wants to continue to act as it has done on land, if it wants to progress that onto sea, that we have more than the capability to match that."
'Bullies will be stood up to'
He continued: "It's about sending a message that bullies will be stood up to.
"They can't be stood up to without advanced capabilities and it's the people of Scotland and the people of this region that are providing that."
When asked about restoring Glasgow's reputation for shipbuilding, Mr Chalk said: "Around the world, industrial processes took a knock over Covid.
"But what's encouraging is the ambition of this yard to get back on track, even if there are some modest delays.
"Russian submarines that want to menace our shores need to know that there is a capability that is there to intercept them.
"The people from Govan should take pride in the fact that it is their community that is on that front line, which is standing up for the international rules-based order, and for human rights,
"In this yard, we're sending a message to the world once again that if you want to have world-class ships built, there's a workforce here in Govan that can do it.
"If that doesn't get you out of bed in the morning, I don't know what will."
A decade of work
BAE's managing director of naval shipbuilding, Sir Simon Lister, said the Type 26 programme employed about 4,000 people directly and provide "a decade of work and secure jobs".
But he said the industry is different now: "There is a shipbuilding legacy and tradition here on the Clyde, but the way workers go about it today, it's less about Billy Connelly's experience of shipbuilding.
"It's much more about noughts and ones and digital design."
The Royal Navy Commodore Stephen Roberts addressed the assembled shipbuilders, thanking them for their work and said: "You have put your heart and soul into the construction of these ships which will have a legacy for decades."