Royal Navy unveils new Type 31 frigate, HMS Venturer

Rosyth, Scotland – May 28, 2025 – The Royal Navy unveiled its newest general-purpose frigate, HMS Venturer, on Tuesday, the first of five Inspiration-class ships under the Type 31 program, part of a £10 billion investment to modernize the United Kingdom’s naval fleet.

After more than three years of construction inside a massive assembly hall in Rosyth, Fife, the facility’s 28-meter-tall doors were opened and Venturer began to emerge, marking a new phase in the naval program. The operation to move the ship out of the build hall took nearly 12 hours, using specially designed transport cradles to shift its 139-meter, 5,700-tonne hull to the outside platform.

Inspired by historic Royal Navy vessels, HMS Venturer is the first of five frigates named after distinguished predecessors. Until its official unveiling, the ship’s construction remained hidden from public view.

“This is a key moment in the life of the ship and the entire Type 31 program,” said Commander Chris Cozens, the ship’s Senior Naval Officer. “The crew has followed every stage from the keel up, but this is the first time that the Royal Navy and Babcock are revealing this next-generation frigate to the public.”

According to the ship’s Executive Warrant Officer, Lee “Rattler” Morgan, expectations are high that both the public and members of the Navy will be impressed by the new vessel. The Type 31 frigates are 60% larger than the Type 23s they will replace but will operate with significantly fewer crew members – around 120 compared to the 180 to 200 of their predecessors.

In the coming weeks, Venturer will be positioned on a special barge for launching into the water, initiating the installation phase of systems, sensors, and weaponry. The operation involves 1,400 workers directly at Rosyth and nearly the same number of professionals across the UK, underscoring the importance of the project to the British defense industry.

Commissioned as a pillar of the UK’s future surface fleet, HMS Venturer will be equipped for multiple missions and is set to bolster British maritime security for decades to come.