"Significant milestone" for future Portsmouth Type 31 Royal Navy ship HMS Formidable as construction continues
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A “significant milestone” has been reached in a critical shipbuilding project to bolster the Royal Navy fleet with modern vessels.
The keel has been laid for the third Type 31 warship HMS Formidable at the Babcock International facility in Scotland. She will be based in Portsmouth alongside the four other ships of her class once they’re in active service.
A ceremony took place to mark the occasion, attended by hundreds of shipwrights, engineers, technicians, their families, and VIPs. The youngest person involved in the Inspiration-class programme, 17-year-old welding and fabrication apprentice Joolz Hunter, placed a newly minted coin beneath the keel.
The coin – featuring HMS Formidable’s crest on one side, the Babcock logo on the reverse – is believed to bestow the ship’s company with good fortune throughout the vessel’s career. It’s a ceremony which in various forms goes back hundreds of years.
Commander Thomas Hetherington, Senior Naval Officer of HMS Venturer and Type 31 Ships, said: “HMS Formidable’s keel laying ceremony marks a significant milestone in the Type 31 project’s relentless progress in delivering the Royal Navy’s Inspiration Class to operations. The ceremony blends the tradition of marking the birth of a ship with the undoubted technological advances that have been used in designing and building her for the extremely complex environment she will sail in. HMS Formidable will help modernise the Royal Navy’s frigate fleet and enhance the lived experience for our sailors as they continue to deliver on operations across the globe.”
Work has been underway on the frigate since October 2024, with the first steel being cut and various segments taking shape. With keel laying, Formidable begins to take on the form of a warship as the first of 170 modules are brought together.
Joolz, one of more than 300 apprentices taken on by Babcock, said: “Being part of this project is incredible, I’m learning from experienced professionals and contributing to something that matters for the UK and has such a positive impact for our local community.”
Only HMS Venturer, the first ship in the class of five, has a crew at present; they are responsible for all three vessels. The first Type 31 ship is in the water amid ongoing fitting. Her sister ship, HMS Active, is due to be rolled out of the assembly hall next year, Work will soon begin on the fourth frigate, HMS Bulldog.
The programme is one half of the programme to replace the ageing Type 23 frigates. These ships will be tasked with counter-smuggling operations, disaster relief, maritime security patrols, and other operations.
Minister for defence readiness and industry Luke Pollard said: “This is the defence dividend in action – strengthening our national security, whilst delivering quality jobs and driving economic growth. The keel laying of HMS Formidable is a significant step in delivering the Type 31 programme – ships which will protect our nation and project British power across the globe for years to come.”