MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Work begins in Royal Navy’s new Type 31 frigate HMS Formidable

Formidable is the third of five Type 31 frigates now under construction, alongside HMS Venturer and Active which are taking shape (Graphic RN)

With a blinding arc of light as the laser cutter sliced through steel plate, work started this week on the Royal Navy’s new frigate HMS Formidable. Watched by political, military and business leaders – as well as the hundreds of skilled engineers and technicians – local MP Graeme Downie pressed the button to set the machine in motion at Babcock’s state-of-the-art facility in Rosyth.

Formidable is the third of five Type 31 frigates now under construction, alongside HMS Venturer and Active which are taking shape in the huge assembly hall specially built for them.

 Known collectively as the Inspiration class, all five ships take their names from previous Royal Navy vessels whose deeds echo through history to inspire future generations of sailors – in Formidable’s case, a World War 2 aircraft carrier which earned ten battle honours for her actions.

 Her 21st Century successor will perform a myriad of duties around the globe – maritime security patrols, disaster-relief support, launch-pad for commando raids, through to diplomacy and flying the flag for the UK.

 They are 60 per cent larger than the Type 23 frigates they replace, but due to technological advances and new ways of working require only 60 per cent of the crew – around 120 sailors compared with 180-200 in existing vessels.

 All five Inspiration-class ships are equipped with a 57mm main gun with programmable ammunition to fend off threats on land, sea and in the air, plus two 40mm Bofors guns, the Sea Ceptor air defense missile system, a 4D radar, one of the largest flight decks in the navy and a large hold to fit equipment for specific missions – such as diving, mine hunting kit, drones or disaster-relief supplies.

 Babcock has invested around £200m in its facilities at Rosyth in recent decades, including the development of a huge assembly hall which allows two 31s to be constructed side-by-side, shielded from the elements.

At the height of the program around 2,500 people will be involved in the Type 31 project across the UK; some 1,250 directly, with the rest in the supply chain. Completed sections of Formidable will move into the assembly hall once HMS Venturer is rolled out next year. Still to come in the five-ship class are HMS Bulldog and finally Campbeltown.