Tens of thousands of people gathered to see the launch of the latest Royal Navy destroyer, HMS Duncan, on Monday.
The 7,500-tonne Type 45 vessel is the sixth ship of its kind to be made for the Royal Navy and is expected to enter service in 2014.
The “world class” warship is named after Admiral Adam Duncan and was launched on the anniversary of his defeat of a Dutch fleet off Camperdown, to the north of Haarlem, on October 11, 1797.
HMS Duncan was launched by Marie Ibbotson, wife of the Deputy Commander-in-Chief Fleet Vice Admiral Richard Ibbotson, who sent the Type 45 down the slipway into the river.
The launch was watched by a crowd of 14,000 people in Govan, Glasgow, including Defence Minister Peter Luff.
He said: “The launch of Duncan is the culmination of a huge effort by workers here on the Clyde, British subcontractors across the country, and staff in the Ministry of Defence. They have built potent warships of which everyone involved can be very proud.
“Today is another significant milestone in the delivery of a truly world-class defence capability to the Royal Navy, following on from the first Type 45, HMS Daring, joining the Navy’s fleet, and its new Sea Viper missile system being fired successfully for the first time just last month.”
The 7,500-tonne HMS Duncan was built by BAE Systems using 2,800 tonnes of steel and is covered with 40 tonnes of paint.
The destroyer is affiliated to Dundee and Belfast and completes the Class of six Type 45 destroyer along with Daring, Dauntless, Diamond, Dragon and Defender.
BAE Systems is over half way through the programme to deliver all six ships to the Royal Navy by the end of 2013.
The first of class, HMS Daring, entered service on July 31 and is currently on her first operational deployment, while HMS Dauntless, the second of class, was handed over to the Royal Navy last December and commissioned into service in June.
The third ship, Diamond, was handed over only three weeks ago and is preparing for stagetwo sea trials with the Royal Navy.
The fourth ship, Dragon, will undertake her first sea trials next month, while the final stages of outfit are under way on Defender, the fifth ship in the class.
Commander-in-Chief Fleet Admiral Sir Trevor Soar said: “The Type 45 is world class; these ships are as versatile as they are powerful.
“Naturally her war-fighting capability includes the ability to engage hostile forces using the Sea Viper missile system, her gun or other onboard weapon systems, while her Ship’s Company provide anything from boarding parties that deter and disrupt pirates, to landing ashore for the provision of humanitarian disaster relief.
“HMS Duncan can also deploy up to 60 Royal Marine Commandos and their equipment and operate a range of helicopters from her flight deck. These are fantastic ships and I look forward to HMS Duncan joining the Fleet.”
The Type 45 destroyer is the largest and most powerful air defence destroyer ever built for the Royal Navy and will provide UK defence with a world-class military capability. The Type 45s will provide the backbone of the UK’s naval air defences for the next 30 years and beyond.
The destroyers will be capable of carrying out a wide range of operations, including anti-piracy and anti-smuggling activities, disaster-relief work and surveillance operations as well as high intensity operations in war zones.
Each destroyer will be able to engage a number of targets simultaneously, and defend aircraft carriers or groups of ships, such as an amphibious landing force, against the strongest future threats from the air. The vessels will contribute a specialist air warfare capability to worldwide maritime and joint operations until 2040.