Last Type 45 warship sails from Clyde
Future of yards now looks bleak
THE last Type 45 warship to be built on the Clyde has set sail on its maiden sea trial.
HMS Duncan slipped out of the Scotstoun shipyard yesterday for three weeks of manoeuvres off the west coast of Scotland during which engineers will test the destroyer’s power and propulsion systems as well as its auxiliary and domestic services.
It is one of the world’s most advanced battleships, the last in a £6billion fleet of Type 45s to be built in the sister yards of Scotstoun and Govan, and the end of a shipbuilding era.
Constructing the fleet provided jobs for around 3000 shipyard workers. Now the future of the yards looks bleak.
BAE Systems programme director Paul Rafferty said: “This is the sixth Type 45 destroyer to embark on sea trials but there will be no complacency in the rigour with which we will prove her outstanding capabilities.
“Every stage in the delivery of the Type 45 destroyers brings an enormous amount of pride to those who have worked on the programme and there’s a special significance attached now that all six ships have sailed.”
Commander Phil Game is captain of Duncan and added: “Putting to sea for the first time is a significant milestone in the early life of the ship and a tribute to the teamwork between BAE Systems, MoD and my Royal Navy.”
The warship will be handed over to the Royal Navy next year, as was sister ship HMS Defender two months ago.