The Royal Navy’s newest warship took to the water for the first time earlier this month after a meticulous operation in full view of the Scottish capital.
HMS Venturer – the first of five Type 31 frigates which will patrol the oceans into the second half of the 21st Century – was towed beneath the three iconic Forth Crossings on Saturday evening to complete her construction in Rosyth.
Some of her crew plus shipwrights and engineers from Babcock International Group, who have worked on the ship since the first steel was cut in September 2021, were on board for the 11-mile journey up the estuary.
HMS Venturer emerged from the assembly hall named after her at the end of last month, carefully inched out on a gigantic low-loader, and then on to a special partly-submersible barge.
Since then, experts at Babcock have been waiting for a suitable tidal window in the Forth estuary to allow the ship to be precisely floated off.
That operation began on Monday, when the barge supporting the warship left Rosyth and sailed to waters deep – and sheltered – enough for the delicate manoeuvre off Leith.
Members of the new ship’s crew worked side-by-side with Babcock staff to ensure HMS Venturer successfully lifted off the barge safely as the waters of the Forth lapped around her hull.
Once tugs were attached the frigate was towed back up river on her ‘maiden voyage’ with Venturer’s Senior Naval Officer, Commander Chris Cozens, on board – one of his final acts before he moves on for new pastures shortly.
“Getting Venturer’s feet wet is not just a show piece, it is the culmination of the structural stage of build before the rest of the fit out and commissioning completes,” he said.
“It has been impressive to see the pride and teamwork in the industrial staff, MOD and Royal Navy. There is a single aim to make Type 31 the best it can be and fit to be a Next Generation Frigate, delivering maritime security and humanitarian disaster relief around the world.”