Work Commences on Navy's New Powerful Warship, Duncan

UK Ministry of Defence, Defence Minister Baroness Taylor today visited the BAE Systems shipyards, in Glasgow to mark the cutting of steel for the Royal Navy's sixth Type 45 Destroyer, DUNCAN. On her first visit to the Clyde shipyards, Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, Baroness Taylor, said: 
 
“Once DUNCAN is built, she will be one of the most modern and powerful air defence destroyers in the world. 
 
“I am delighted to initiate the first cutting of steel for DUNCAN and look forward to following the progress of her construction. This is an exciting time for the Royal Navy with £14bn being spent over the next ten to fifteen years.” 
Larger and more powerful than the Type 42 Destroyers they replace, Type 45 will be a flexible, versatile vessel capable of undertaking a range of military tasks and assist in peace-support type operations. It will be able to carry up to 235 crew including 60 Royal Marine commandos and their equipment. There is also significant scope within the design of the ship to accommodate new equipment through its life. 
 
DARING, DUNCAN's sister ship, will enter service in late 2009, and follow-on ships will enter service progressively between then and the middle of the next decade.  
 
Background Information 
1. DUNCAN is the sixth of the 'D' Class of T45 destroyers. The others are called DARING, DAUNTLESS, DIAMOND, DRAGON and DEFENDER. 
2. The Type 45 programme is currently providing 3,000 shipbuilding jobs on the Clyde, 600 shipbuilding jobs in Portsmouth and many more jobs at sub-contractors around the country. 
3. The Type 45s are the largest and most powerful destroyers ever ordered for the Royal Navy: 
a. A Type 45 has a range of around 7000 nautical miles which equates to New York and back without refuelling; 
b. Each gas turbine on the ship produces a huge amount of power of about 24 Megawatts; 
c. The hull structure is made of 2,800 tonnes of steel which is more that the weight of the Blackpool Tower; 
d. Approximately 40 tonnes of paint will have to be applied to cover an area of 100,000 square meters of steel.