Photo: Royal Navy
HMS Cardiff is not unique. It's one of the eight new-generation submarine hunters the Royal Navy is slowly adding to its fleet. Still, out of all of them, it might become the most popular with the general public simply because of its unusual sponsor, the opera megastar Katherine Jenkins.
It's common for cruise ships to have famous artists as godmothers, but unusual for warships and their sponsors. It's mainly the Royal Family members or close relatives of senior military figures who get this important role. HMS Glasgow, for instance, another ship in the new Type 26 frigate series, is sponsored by the Princess of Wales.
HMS Cardiff already reflects a close connection to Wales because it bears the name of the city capital of Wales. Yet, a different kind of famous Wales native was chosen to be its sponsor. Katherine Jenkins is a highly successful mezzo-soprano and was even named "The Biggest Selling Classical Artist of the Century" by Classic FM.
And that's not all. Jenkins performed twice on the Royal Navy's flagship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, as part of her collaboration with the Armed Forces, which has unfolded over the past twenty years. To this, she will now add the formal role of ambassador for submarine hunter HMS Cardiff. The mezzo-soprano got to visit the Navy's facility in Cardiff and cruise onboard HMS Express, a patrol boat that is the only British warship based permanently in Wales.
Earlier this summer, HMS Cardiff reached a construction milestone when its two main sections were joined. The ship is still in Govan. From there, it will be transferred to the BAE Systems' yard at Scotstoun for the fitting-out phase. Its sistership HMS Glasgow is already there, waiting to be completed.
Four City-class ships are currently under construction. There will be eight of them in total, designed to replace the existing Type 23 frigates. The Type 23 ships were designed 30 years ago, which is why they need to make way for a new generation of submarine hunters.
The Type 26 frigates will sport a new main 5-inch gun (for on-land targets) and Sea Ceptor missiles (against air attacks). These weapons are part of their defensive artillery, but the main roles of the new ships will be to hunt and intercept today's most advanced submarines.
Their state-of-the-art equipment will also include drones and mine-hunting technology. At the same time, these fierce frigates will be versatile enough to give a helping hand in case of natural disasters and other rescue-type operations. Plus, they are greener compared to the old generation, thanks to their optimized hulls, designed for fuel efficiency, anti-fouling coating, and onboard wastewater treatment systems.
Once ready to enter service, HMS Cardiff and its seven sisterships are expected to operate for the next 25 years.
HMS Cardiff already reflects a close connection to Wales because it bears the name of the city capital of Wales. Yet, a different kind of famous Wales native was chosen to be its sponsor. Katherine Jenkins is a highly successful mezzo-soprano and was even named "The Biggest Selling Classical Artist of the Century" by Classic FM.
And that's not all. Jenkins performed twice on the Royal Navy's flagship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, as part of her collaboration with the Armed Forces, which has unfolded over the past twenty years. To this, she will now add the formal role of ambassador for submarine hunter HMS Cardiff. The mezzo-soprano got to visit the Navy's facility in Cardiff and cruise onboard HMS Express, a patrol boat that is the only British warship based permanently in Wales.
Earlier this summer, HMS Cardiff reached a construction milestone when its two main sections were joined. The ship is still in Govan. From there, it will be transferred to the BAE Systems' yard at Scotstoun for the fitting-out phase. Its sistership HMS Glasgow is already there, waiting to be completed.
Four City-class ships are currently under construction. There will be eight of them in total, designed to replace the existing Type 23 frigates. The Type 23 ships were designed 30 years ago, which is why they need to make way for a new generation of submarine hunters.
The Type 26 frigates will sport a new main 5-inch gun (for on-land targets) and Sea Ceptor missiles (against air attacks). These weapons are part of their defensive artillery, but the main roles of the new ships will be to hunt and intercept today's most advanced submarines.
Their state-of-the-art equipment will also include drones and mine-hunting technology. At the same time, these fierce frigates will be versatile enough to give a helping hand in case of natural disasters and other rescue-type operations. Plus, they are greener compared to the old generation, thanks to their optimized hulls, designed for fuel efficiency, anti-fouling coating, and onboard wastewater treatment systems.
Once ready to enter service, HMS Cardiff and its seven sisterships are expected to operate for the next 25 years.
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