Royal Navy's newest warship takes to water for first time in Scotland
The Royal Navy's newest warship has taken to the water for the time time.
HMS Venturer made its debut on the River Forth after four years of construction.
It is one of five Type 31 frigates that will patrol the oceans this century.
It was towed beneath the three Forth Crossings on Saturday evening to complete its construction in Rosyth.
Some of the crew, shipwrights and engineers from Babcock International Group – who have worked on the ship – were on board for the 11-mile journey up the estuary.
The vessel emerged from the assembly hall last month on a gigantic low-loader before being loaded onto 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 deeper waters.
Members of the new ship's crew worked with Babcock staff to ensure HMS Venturer successfully lifted off the barge safely.
Once tugs were attached, the frigate was towed back up river on her maiden voyage with Venturer's senior naval officer, commander Chris Cozens.
'Getting Venturer's feet wet is not just a showpiece, 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.'
Once back at Rosyth, Venturer was manoeuvred into an inner base in the dockyard to allow Babcock and contractors to complete fitting out the frigate and begin commissioning its many systems and sensors as the vessel is prepared for her first sea trials.
Sir Nick Hine, chief executive of Babcock's Marine Sector, said: 'In a complex and uncertain world, our ability to design, build and support advanced warships in the UK is more important than ever.
'HMS Venturer's first entry into the water is a clear demonstration of UK sovereign capability in action and the depth, resilience and expertise within Babcock's Marine business.
'This latest milestone exhibits the excellent progress being made across our multi-build programme, which will see us deliver five complex warships for the Royal Navy within a decade.
'This is engineering at its best, delivered, together with our partners, with pride, purpose and precision. HMS Venturer is just the beginning.
'My grandfather used to work at Harland and Wolff, so being involved with Venturer's first move into the Forth is a proud moment for me.'
Lieutenant Dai Guthrie, the frigate's deputy marine engineer officer, said he was delighted to be involved at 'such a historic moment as Venturer entered the water for the first time'.
He added: 'The operation has been an embodiment of the team ethos that has been ingrained in the build process thus far and a symbol of the progress that's being made to bring a frigate at the cutting edge of naval technology into service.'
Operating from Portsmouth, HMS Venturer and its four sister vessels will conduct a variety of duties from thwarting drug smuggling activities to conducting board and search security operations and providing disaster relief.
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