On a cold but sunny afternoon, I turned up at the BAE Systems shipyard in Glasgow to be shown what the company call the future of shipbuilding in Scotland. Along with journalists from various newspapers, radio stations, and websites, I was granted the unique opportunity to step into the future of naval warfare.
Our day commenced at 1330 hours, with our arrival at the BAE Systems Govan Linthouse Gate. After receiving our passes and donning high-visibility gear, we were escorted to the Glasgow Boardroom, where the day’s agenda was laid out. With refreshments in hand, we listened intently to updates on the Naval Ships Overview, the Type 26 Programme, and the transformative investments in shipbuilding technology being made by our hosts at the Govan yard.
An awe-inspiring ship tour
Before going onboard, we were introduced to the Type 26 frigate through an immersive session in a computerised imaging room, ‘the Visualisation Suite’. This was very helpful in detailing the meticulous design considerations of the Type 26 and its variants, emphasising the unparalleled attention to detail in enhancing acoustic quieting and human factors in ship design. Our tour then took us through the heart of the shipbuilding process, from the fabrication facilities where HMS Cardiff’s hull units were born to the hard standing where HMS Cardiff herself was present, towering over the Glasgow skyline.
The crescendo of our tour was the boarding of HMS Cardiff. Ascending eight flights of stairs to the deck, the scale of this massive ship was awe-inspiring.
I couldn’t help but quip about the situation, remarking on the irony that, despite the significant investments funnelling into the yard, apparently not enough had been earmarked for a lift to accommodate us less-than-athletic journalists. The ordeal, while not particularly as challenging as I’m making out, served as an amusing prelude to the experience that awaited at the top.
Despite its structural completion on the outside, the interior of the ship was a hive of activity, with corridors of bare steel and the hustle of workers laying the groundwork for its sophisticated systems. It’s more building site than battle-ready, but it’s already starting to look the part.
Can I have my pen back?
The Type 26 mission bay, still very much a work in progress, hinted at the ship’s versatile capabilities, from amphibious operations to humanitarian aid, via the use of a crane that allows the vessel to load itself at ports rather than rely on port infrastructure. However, it was the gearbox that really underscored the ship’s strategic silence. Rubber-fitted pipe brackets and meticulously designed noise-dampening measures were evidence of the painstaking efforts to minimise those acoustic signatures I keep going on about. Perhaps it was because I was so awe-struck that I bumped my head and dropped a pen; I wonder if BAE will let me back onboard to find it.
The world’s best anti-submarine ship
Before our tour, Sir Simon Lister, BAE Systems Naval Ships MD, eloquently captured the essence of our visit and the heart of HMS Cardiff’s design philosophy. While onboard, I really started to understand what he meant when he said how important every little detail was. Here’s what he told us.
“The Type 26 is an anti-submarine warfare frigate designed specifically to deal with the submarine threat present for the United Kingdom and for NATO. It is without doubt one of the best, if not the best anti-submarine warfare platforms in the world. It will hunt submarines more effectively than almost any other surface ship I can conceive of, and that is why it has been attractive to the Australians, to the submarine threat that they face and the Canadians for the threat they face.
What distinguishes it is its acoustic performance. It’s designed to be very stealthy. And the way that you hold an enemy submarine risk is with two main characteristics. One is that you have a sonar that is very sensitive. In this ship, there is both a bow and a towed array that are very effective and have been developed over many years by the United Kingdom.
The other characteristic is that the ship itself is quiet. Because your ability to detect an enemy submarine and the sensitivity of the sonar critically depends on the silence of the platform that is towing the towed arrays, and that gives you a sonar range advantage over the enemy and allows you to detect and localise that submarine.”
Scottish shipbuilding is world-class
The Type 26 frigate exemplifies the zenith of anti-submarine warfare. It is a thoroughbred. Every aspect of the ship, from propulsion to waste management, is fine-tuned for acoustic stealth, ensuring that it remains a ghost in the oceans, undetectable by enemy subs while casting a wide net with its own proven, sensitive sonars.
This ship represents a leap in anti-submarine warfare and a testament to the innovative spirit driving Scottish naval design. Despite ongoing questions over defence spending or recruitment, I’m confident Scotland, at least, is still very good at designing ships.
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