Royal Navy’s second Type 31 frigate HMS Active launched as construction programme advances in Rosyth

The launch took place nearly a month after the ship was rolled out from the Venturer Hall assembly building at the Rosyth facility. The milestone marks the completion of the flotation process for the future HMS Active.

During the operation, the frigate was transferred onto the barge CD01, owned by Malin Augustea, which had been moored perpendicular to the quay. The vessel was then towed to deeper water, where the barge submerged, allowing HMS Active to become afloat before being towed back to the Rosyth yard.

HMS Active is now in the water at Rosyth.

A complex operation delivered entirely at our Rosyth site for the first time on the Type 31 programme.

A sign of how our shipbuilding capability continues to grow. pic.twitter.com/0HHAklKAc3

— Babcock International (@Babcockplc) March 23, 2026

Following its return, the frigate will enter the final outfitting phase, primarily in dry dock. This stage will include the installation of the main mast, funnels, electronic systems and weaponry forming the ship’s combat system.

The keel of HMS Active was laid on 16 September 2023, marking the formal start of construction. Parts of the lower hull, including three sections used during the keel-laying ceremony, were manufactured by PGZ Stocznia Wojenna in Gdynia, Poland.

After the departure of HMS Active from Venturer Hall, the space has been occupied by hull blocks for Bulldog, the fourth vessel in the Type 31 series. Lessons learned from the construction of the first two ships have already improved efficiency in building the third and fourth units.

An increased number of mechanisms and systems are now installed at earlier stages within production halls before the main hull blocks are assembled. This approach is expected to shorten integration time in Venturer Hall and support the overall programme schedule.

The Type 31 Inspiration-class frigates are based on Babcock’s Arrowhead 140 design, which itself is derived from the Danish Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate. Similar designs are also being used in Poland’s Project 106 Miecznik and Indonesia’s Merah Putih programmes, all of which are currently in the construction phase.

Each Inspiration-class vessel is named after a predecessor recognised for notable service in Royal Navy history. HMS Active takes its name from a previous Type 21 Amazon-class frigate that took part in the Falklands conflict in 1982 in the South Atlantic.