Work begins on Type 26 frigate HMS Sheffield

Steel cutting has begun on the fifth of eight vessels in the UK’s Type 26 frigate fleet.

HMS Sheffield – the second of Batch 2 of the Type 26 City-class frigates set to begin duty after 2030 – joined HMS Glasgow, HMS Cardiff, HMS Belfast, and HMS Birmingham as a work in progress at the BAE Systems Govan shipyard on 28 November.

All eight vessels in the fleet will be built on Clydeside, historically a centre of British shipbuilding, with the work sustaining 2,000 jobs in Scotland, and as many again across the UK maritime supply chain.

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Work on the Type 26 vessels was split into two batches, with Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast due to be operating before the end of 2030 as replacements for the Royal Navy's ageing Type 23 Duke-class frigates.

The cost of the five vessels in Batch 2 was placed at £4.2 billion (US$5.6 billion), compared to £3.7 billion ($4.7 billion) for the first three vessels in the fleet.

The Type 26 City-class frigate has been designed for modular use, with bays that can be filled with mission-specific technology or equipment, depending on the demands of the mission. As such, HMS Sheffield will be significantly more multi-functional than any vessel in the Type 23 Duke class, allowing it to tackle everything from counter-piracy patrols and disaster relief to high-intensity naval combat.

HMS Sheffield, and the other vessels in the Type 26 City-class, will have a length of 149m, a speed of 26kt and a range of 11,000km, giving it greater endurance between refuelling than its Type 23 predecessor.

Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry Maria Eagle, speaking at the steel cutting ceremony, said HMS Sheffield represented “a cutting-edge addition to our fleet".

The next Type 26 to cut steel will be HMS Newcastle. The first three Type 26 vessels are making their way towards full operational capability and the first of class, HMS Glasgow, is scheduled to enter service in 2028.

Related Equipment in Defence Insight

Duke Class (Type 23)

City Class (Type 26)