Glasgow under construction in November 2022.
| |
History | |
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United Kingdom | |
Name | HMS Glasgow |
Namesake | The city of Glasgow |
Ordered | 2 July 2017 |
Builder | BAE Systems |
Laid down | 20 July 2017 |
Launched | 3 December 2022[1] |
Sponsored by | The Princess of Wales[2] |
Homeport | HMNB Devonport |
Identification | F88 |
Status | Fitting out |
Badge | |
General characteristics | |
Type | Type 26 frigate[9] |
Displacement | 6,900 t (6,800 long tons),[3] 8,000+ t full load[4][5] |
Length | 149.9 m (492 ft)[3] |
Beam | 20.8 m (68 ft 3 in)[3] |
Propulsion |
|
Speed | In excess of 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph)[3] |
Range | In excess of 7,000 nmi (13,000 km; 8,100 mi) in diesel-electric drive[3] |
Complement | 118[3] (capacity for 208)[3] |
Sensors and processing systems |
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Electronic warfare & decoys | IRVIN-GQ DLF decoys[6] |
Armament |
|
Aircraft carried |
|
Aviation facilities | |
Notes | Flexible mission bay[7] |
HMS Glasgow is the first Type 26 frigate to be built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy.[14] The Type 26 class will partially replace the navy's thirteen Type 23 frigates,[15] and will be a multi-mission warship designed to support anti-submarine warfare, air defence and general purpose operations.[3]
The ship is being assembled on the River Clyde in Glasgow.[16] The first steel was cut for Glasgow in July 2017 with the ship expected to be delivered in 2024 and operational in about 2026.[17][18][19] However, those dates have since moved to the right. In January 2018, work started on the second hull section.[20]
In January 2020, the Royal Navy announced that the ship was more than halfway through construction.[21] In July 2020, the Royal Navy announced that work on the final section of Glasgow has started.[22]
On 18 April 2021, the fore section of the ship moved out from its building shed on the Clyde, and on 1 May 2021 was joined with its aft section for the first time.[23][24] She was then launched on 25 November 2022 in preparation for tow to the BAE Scotstoun shipyard for her fitting out.[25] Commissioning was anticipated by late 2026 to be followed by a work-up period prior to reaching initial operating capability.[26] In October 2022, the Secretary of State for Defence, Ben Wallace, stated that the initial operating capability (IOC) for the ship had slipped from 2027 to 2028.[27] In May 2023, UK Defence Journal reported that around 60 of the ship's cables had been cut, sabotage possibly related to a pay dispute.[28]