The hull of the Royal Navy’s second Type 26 Frigate, HMS Cardiff, has now entered construction.

The frigate is being built at the BAE Systems shipyard in Govan, Glasgow and is the second to enter production as part of the £3.7 billion contract, announced by the MoD in 2017.

We are proud to announce that full scale manufacture of the second Type 26 Global Combat Ship, CARDIFF, is underway. @annietrev started the process in front of gathered employees #Type26 #CARDIFF pic.twitter.com/ojlveoDPpQ — BAE Systems Maritime (@BAES_Maritime) August 14, 2019

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said:

“The Type 26 Frigate is a cutting-edge warship, combining the expertise of the British shipbuilding industry with the excellence of the Royal Navy. These ships will be a force to be reckoned with, there to protect our powerful new carriers and helping keep British interests safe across the world.”

BAE Systems said:

“It was a pleasure to welcome representatives of the City of Cardiff to our ceremony. The contract for the first batch of three Type 26 ships provides a solid platform to sustain our industrial skill base & ensures the Royal Navy have the ships it needs to protect UK interests.”

Eight Type 26 Frigates are to be built in total with three in the first batch, the contract for the second batch will be negotiated in the coming year. Ordering in batches is common for projects of this size around the world and was last seen with the Royal Navy for the Type 45 Destroyers and recent Offshore Patrol Vessels. The Type 45s first batch order was for three vessels for example.