New HMS Sheffield announcement due, as first submarine hunter in £3.7bn fleet nears completion

A major announcement about the fourth HMS Sheffield, which is part of a new £3.7 billion fleet of submarine hunters, is expected soon.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

It is more than three years since it was announced that one of the Royal Navy’s eight new Type 26 frigates would be named after the city, following in the proud tradition of its forebears, the second of which was tragically sunk during the Falklands War.

The Star can now reveal that the first of the new ships, HMS Glasgow, is scheduled to enter the water in the latter half of this year and be transferred to the Scotstoun yard for fitting out.

Read More
HMS Sheffield survivor says new memorial would 'mean so much'
One of the new £3.7bn fleet of Type 2 frigates being built for the Royal Navy will be named HMS Sheffield. It will be the fourth ship to bear the nameOne of the new £3.7bn fleet of Type 2 frigates being built for the Royal Navy will be named HMS Sheffield. It will be the fourth ship to bear the name
One of the new £3.7bn fleet of Type 2 frigates being built for the Royal Navy will be named HMS Sheffield. It will be the fourth ship to bear the name
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Construction of HMS Cardiff and HMS Belfast, which are also part of the first batch of Type 26 frigates to be built, is underway too.

HMS Sheffield is part of the second batch of five ships, which the Ministry of Defence has said are subject to a separate approval and contract, which is due to be announced in the early 2020s.

Because dates for the manufacture of each ship will be set during commercial negotiations, military chiefs have said it is not possible to give a precise timeline for completion and when they might enter service.

Although manufacturing in Glasgow was briefly paused when the first Covid lockdown was announced in 2020, the Ministry of Defence declared the project to be ‘essential work’ and a phased return to production followed to ensure the schedule was not affected.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Between them, the three HMS Sheffields to date have racked up an impressive 13 battle honours.

The first ship, nicknamed The Shiny Sheff, amassed 12 of them during the Second World War, when it was involved in the sinking of the famous German battleship Bismarck.

The second tragically sunk during the Falklands War after being hit by an Argentine missile, killing 20 people on board, and the third served with the Royal Navy from the 1980s to the early noughties, when it was decommissioned and sold to Chile.

The announcement that there will be a fourth HMS Sheffield was made at Chesterfield Special Cylinders, near Meadowhall, which as one of the suppliers for the new fleet is keeping alive the city's tradition of using its manufacturing prowess to equip the armed forces.