A steel-cutting ceremony was held at BAE Systems’ Govan shipyard (www.baesystems.com) on the River Clyde on 14 August to mark the start of the build for HMS Cardiff — an important milestone in the programme to increase the Royal Navy’s anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability.

The Minister for Defence Procurement (Anne-Marie Trevelyan) set the plasma cutting machine to work on the first steel plate.

The Type 26 frigate is an advanced ASW warship designed to take over from the Navy’s current Type 23 ASW frigates, which have served the UK well.

Each Type 26 will be equipped with the Sea Ceptor missile defence system, a 5in gun, Artisan 997 medium-range radar, powerful sonars and a vertical launch silo capable of hosting a variety of weapons.

BAE Systems has now begun the construction of seven complex warships for the Royal Navy in just five years, with HMS Cardiff following her sister ship HMS Glasgow and the five River Class Offshore Patrol Vessels, all five of which are now in the water.

Ms Trevelyan said: “The Royal Navy’s new world-beating Type 26 anti-submarine frigates are truly a UK-wide enterprise, supporting thousands of jobs in Scotland and around the UK.

“The ships will clearly contribute to UK and allied security, but they will also make a strong economic contribution to the country.

"With 64 sub-contracts already placed with UK-based businesses, there will be new export opportunities for them to tender for, following the selection of the Type 26 design by Australia and Canada too.”