The Hunter Class Frigate Program has reached a defining milestone with the laying of the keel of the first Hunter class frigate, NUSHIP Hunter. The ceremonial event – a naval tradition dating back centuries and intended to invoke good luck and protection for the ship and its future crew – saw BAE Systems Australia’s shipbuilders joined by Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon. Pat Conroy MP, and Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Matthew Buckley, to lay a coin under two ship blocks which form part of the keel of the frigate.
The two blocks are among the first major sections to form part of NUSHIP Hunter. They will soon be joined by other blocks to form the base of the ship, as construction of one of the world’s most advanced anti-submarine warfare frigates continues at pace.
David Shepherd, Managing Director of BAE Systems Australia – Surface Ships, said: “Today’s ceremony is the culmination of years of hard work by our people and partners in the pursuit of delivering a world-leading warship to the Royal Australian Navy. The Hunter class will form the backbone of the Royal Australian Navy’s fleet for decades to come, with its unique capabilities, weapons, sensors and modular mission bay enabling it to undertake a wide range of missions in addition to hunting submarines. While today we have physically laid the keel of the first Hunter class frigate, the Hunter program itself has laid the foundations of a Continuous Naval Shipbuilding & Sustainment capability in Australia. This milestone is a proud moment for our workforce, our partners and the thousands of Australians contributing to a sovereign naval shipbuilding enterprise that will support Australia’s security and prosperity for generations.”
Australian Deputy Prime Minister, Richard Marles said: “Today’s milestone is a vital step forward for the Australian workers building these ships, the men and women who will serve on them, and our nation’s future maritime security. The laying of the keel for the first Hunter class frigate demonstrates tangible progress in the delivery of a more capable, lethal and resilient surface combatant fleet for Australia. The Hunter class frigates will provide a world-class anti-submarine warfare capability, designed to operate in complex maritime environments.”
Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy said:“This Hunter class frigate program is already supporting thousands of high-skilled and well-paid jobs. So, this is a landmark moment that demonstrates Australia already has the skilled workforce needed to undertake complex projects like this. The Hunter class frigate program is a critical part of the Albanese Government’s plan for giving the Navy the capabilities it needs to help keep Australia safe. It’s also about supporting continuous naval shipbuilding and contributing a secure future made in Australia. Through the construction of the Hunter frigates, we are strengthening South Australia’s role as a national centre for complex naval shipbuilding and supporting skilled Australian jobs across the broader national supply chain.”
Premier of South Australia, Peter Malinauskas said: “This is a momentous day for South Australian shipbuilding. More than 2,500 highly skilled men and women are now working at Osborne building the Hunter Frigates, a massive undertaking that represents the start of continuous naval shipbuilding here in Adelaide. BAE have almost 600 tradespeople now working on this project — some of them young people trained up at our remarkable Technical Colleges, and now locked into well paid, interesting lifelong careers. And there’s still AUKUS to come. Recruiting the workforce for these tasks represents a massive challenge. But it is also a massive opportunity for our state, and we are working hand in hand with the Albanese Government to ensure we can capitalise on it.”
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