The sights and sounds of Britain’s famed shipyards will thunder back to life under ambitious new plans to construct a surface fleet rivaling the era of empire. Addressing naval commanders yesterday, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps decreed “a new Golden Age of British shipbuilding” had commenced, with up to 28 warships and submarines set to pour from domestic yards in the years ahead.
His keynote speech at the First Sea Lord’s annual Sea Power conference served as a bold statement of maritime intent. Shapps vowed the huge industrial shipbuilding effort, backed by soaring defence budgets, would secure the UK’s status as a formidable naval power for generations to come.
Biggest Naval Buildup in Decades
The secretary’s bombshell announcement amounts to the largest planned expansion of the Royal Navy’s surface fleet since the Cold War. A £75 billion spending injection over six years will bankroll Britain’s naval ambitions, with defence expenditure rising to 2.5% of GDP by 2030.
An Armada Reborn Across UK Shipyards
At the heart of these ambitions is a renaissance in world-class shipbuilding across UK shipyards and subcontractors:
Programme |
Vessels |
Location |
|---|---|---|
| Dreadnought Nuclear Deterrent | 4 Submarines | Barrow-in-Furness |
| Astute-class Attack Subs | 7 Submarines | Barrow-in-Furness |
| Type 26 Frigates | 8 Frigates | Scotland |
| Type 31 Frigates | 5 Frigates | Scotland |
| Fleet Solid Support | 2 Supply Ships | Belfast, Devon |
| Multi-Role Support Ships | Up to 6 New Ships | UK Shipyard TBD |
“With up to 28 ships and submarines being built or in the pipeline, this is a new Golden Age for British shipbuilding,”
Shapps declared, projecting renewed naval supremacy after recent years of austerity and spending constraints.
New Marine “Lightning Carriers”
Among the secretary’s top announcements was formal approval for a new class of up to six “Multi-Role Support Ships” (MRSS) enhancing the Royal Marines’ special forces capabilities. According to First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Ben Key, the advanced vessels will be “the most capable amphibious warships the nation has ever owned” for rapidly deploying Marine units on global missions.
“These ships will ensure our extraordinary Royal Marines have the versatility and heavy-lift capability they need to continue being the best… per mare, per terram – by sea and by land – for generations to come,” Shapps said.
The MRSS will replace aging Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships like HMS Argus nearing the end of service.
Defence Analysts Say it is Maybe Too Late
While hailed by top brass, some defence analysts argue the critical MRSS procurement should have occurred years earlier as naval threats expanded worldwide.
“These new ships are absolutely vital for modern littoral warfare, but let’s be honest – we’re really just playing catch-up after successive governments allowed key capabilities like amphibious forces to atrophy through underinvestment and delays,”
said Nick Childs, a naval expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
“Whether the promised shipbuilding plans represent a genuine ‘new Golden Age’ or simply getting UK sea power back on course remains to be seen.”
Safeguarding the Nuclear Edge
Throughout the speech, the Defence Secretary struck a hawkish tone on bolstering Britain’s naval primacy, crediting the nuclear deterrent submarine fleet for enabling recent interventions.
“You might ask why we need our Continuous At-Sea Deterrent. I know for a fact that gifting Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine…was made easier because of our deterrent giving us that backbone of confidence,” he stated.
Projecting British Hard Power
Shapps framed renewing the UK’s four Dreadnought-class nuclear deterrent submarines and seven Astute-class nuclear attack subs as critical to projecting British military clout worldwide in an increasingly hostile security landscape.
However, critics questioned the assertion that Britain remains preeminent at sea when allies like the United States and France field considerably larger naval forces, questioning whether a “Golden Age” awaits.
“Grand rhetoric is all well and good, but working-class communities want to see high-skilled shipbuilding jobs materialise after years of decline,”
said Labour’s John Healey MP, Shadow Defence Secretary.
“The proof will be in the pudding as these hugely complex programmes unfold over the coming decade.”
An International Naval Renaissance?
As the UK lays out its naval industry revival to safeguard maritime dominance through mid-century, other nations are undertaking similar drives. Australia, Canada, India and Brazil are among those recapitalizing aging fleets amid intensifying geopolitical competition.
Most critically, an increasingly assertive China is undertaking the largest naval buildup in modern history. Beijing’s formidable shipyards continue churning out new surface warships, submarines and amphibious assault vessels for the People’s Liberation Army Navy at a feverish pace.
Tomorrow’s Navies Today
The frenzied procurement race raises economic and security implications, as tomorrow’s naval balance of power solidifies in the coming decade across the Indo-Pacific and European theaters. Britain’s shipbuilding comeback aims to keep it a preeminent player as great maritime powers old and new jostle for supremacy.
For the latest on UK defence procurement and naval capabilities, visit the ministry of defence procurement process.
Sources: THX News, Ministry of Defence, Defence Equipment and Support & The Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP.
