Photo: Royal Navy
This week was extra special for nine Royal Navy sailors led by Senior Naval Officer Commander Chris Cozens. They got to meet HMS Venturer and admire it up close. This will be the Navy's first unit in the new Type 31 frigate class, and these nine enthusiastic seamen are part of its future 100-people crew.
The UK Navy is undergoing a historic renewal and expansion process designed to support Britain's contemporary role as one of the major naval powers. The upcoming Type 31 frigates will join the Type 26 anti-submarine frigates and the deadlier Type 45 anti-air warfare destroyers.
Initially meant to operate as light patrol vessels, the Type 31 frigates changed direction when Navy officials announced that the new frigates would be fitted with the Mk41 vertical launch system (VLS), taking lethality to the next level.
HMS Venturer, the first to be built, will be armed with Sea Ceptor air defense missiles, a sophisticated combat system comprised of one Bofors 57 mm gun and two Bofors 40 mm Mk4 guns, plus a state-of-the-art 4D radar for air and surface surveillance and target indication. It will be the first Royal Navy vessel to include this radar. On top of that, the frigate will be able to carry up to three seaboats and one helicopter (Wildcat or Merlin).
Size-wise, the new warship will be larger than the current Type 23, which it's supposed to replace. The T31 ships boast a length of nearly 140 meters (455 feet), a 19.8-meter (65 feet) beam, and a 5,700-ton displacement.
In terms of performance, the T31 ships will be able to reach high speeds in excess of 26 knots (30 mph/48 kph) and cover up to 7,500 nautical miles (13,890 km).
Together with HMS Active, Formidable, Bulldog, and Campbeltown, HMS Venturer will represent the Royal Navy's new Inspiration class, named after the prestige and historical relevance of the original vessels that carried these names. Venturer, for instance, is the name of a World War 2 submarine that succeeded in blasting a German U-boat while they were both underwater.
HMS Venturer, the leader of the T31 pack, is nearing construction at the Rosyth facility. In a year from now, it should be ready to kick off its first missions. Thanks to its high flexibility, the future warship will be able to go from humanitarian support to intelligence gathering and hunting down the bad guys (mostly drug trafficking networks) in places like the Caribbean or the Middle East.
HMS Venturer's four sister ships will take shape over the following years. The Royal Navy's plan is to have this brand-new frigate unit ready to operate by the end of this decade, together with the Type 26 and Type 45.
Initially meant to operate as light patrol vessels, the Type 31 frigates changed direction when Navy officials announced that the new frigates would be fitted with the Mk41 vertical launch system (VLS), taking lethality to the next level.
HMS Venturer, the first to be built, will be armed with Sea Ceptor air defense missiles, a sophisticated combat system comprised of one Bofors 57 mm gun and two Bofors 40 mm Mk4 guns, plus a state-of-the-art 4D radar for air and surface surveillance and target indication. It will be the first Royal Navy vessel to include this radar. On top of that, the frigate will be able to carry up to three seaboats and one helicopter (Wildcat or Merlin).
Size-wise, the new warship will be larger than the current Type 23, which it's supposed to replace. The T31 ships boast a length of nearly 140 meters (455 feet), a 19.8-meter (65 feet) beam, and a 5,700-ton displacement.
In terms of performance, the T31 ships will be able to reach high speeds in excess of 26 knots (30 mph/48 kph) and cover up to 7,500 nautical miles (13,890 km).
Together with HMS Active, Formidable, Bulldog, and Campbeltown, HMS Venturer will represent the Royal Navy's new Inspiration class, named after the prestige and historical relevance of the original vessels that carried these names. Venturer, for instance, is the name of a World War 2 submarine that succeeded in blasting a German U-boat while they were both underwater.
HMS Venturer, the leader of the T31 pack, is nearing construction at the Rosyth facility. In a year from now, it should be ready to kick off its first missions. Thanks to its high flexibility, the future warship will be able to go from humanitarian support to intelligence gathering and hunting down the bad guys (mostly drug trafficking networks) in places like the Caribbean or the Middle East.
HMS Venturer's four sister ships will take shape over the following years. The Royal Navy's plan is to have this brand-new frigate unit ready to operate by the end of this decade, together with the Type 26 and Type 45.
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