The first of five Type 31 frigates due to be delivered to the UK Royal Navy has taken to the water for the first time, just days after making its first public appearance after being moved out of its namesake build hall at Babcock’s Rosyth shipyard.

Following a coordinated marine transfer, HMS Venturer has now returned to Babcock’s Rosyth facility where outfitting and systems integration will continue in preparation for sea trials.

Conceived as a less expensive general-purpose frigate to augment the Royal Navy’s future Type 26 anti-submarine warfare vessels, the Type 31 has since evolved into a capable full-spectrum platform.

The design, based on the Danish Iver Huitfeldt class, has also been sold to Poland and Indonesia for their own respective frigate programmes.

Sir Nick Hine, chief executive of our Marine Sector, said: “This latest milestone exhibits the excellent progress being made across our multi-build programme, which will see us deliver five complex warships for the Royal Navy within a decade.”

HMS Venturer – gallery

HMS Venturer – timeline

The build of HMS Venturer and its sister ships has progressed at pace following contract award to Babcock in 2019.

At current pace, the time taken from first steel cut of a Type 31 frigate to planned service entry is around six years, significantly faster than the Type 26 frigates being manufactured for the Royal Navy by fellow UK defence prime BAE Systems.

Three of the five Type 31 frigates (HMS Venturer, HMS Active, and HMS Formidable) are now in various stages of build at Babcock’s Rosyth shipyard, with a further two vessels, HMS Bulldog and HMS Campbeltown, to follow.

While all five are due to enter service with the Royal Navy by 2030, it is more likely that all five will be classed as having been delivered by this point, pending work up into service.

Type 31 frigate – specifications

The Type 31 frigates are being built to a modular concept in order to allow for future upgrades – such as the integration of the Mk 41 vertical launch system – during recertification and capability insertion periods.

The Type 31 frigates will replace the five general-purpose frigates from the old Type 23 class, which are gradually being decommissioned.