First crew join latest Royal Navy frigate

SAILORS WILL HELP WRITE SHIP’S ‘OPERATORS’ MANUAL’

- By KATIE

THE first crew have joined HMS Venturer, the lead vessel of five Type 31 Inspiration-class Royal Navy frigates which will be deployed around the globe by the end of the decade.

Nine sailors, led by the warship’s senior naval officer commander Chris Cozens, are the first of the ship’s company which will grow to more than 100 when the ship joins the Fleet.

It’s the task of the trailblazers to bring the 5,700-tonne warship – whose construction only began in September 2021 – to life, helping to write the ‘operators’ manual’ for Venturer and the four other ships of the class.

The Type 31s are designed for a wide variety of roles, with each ship in the class drawing its name from an historic Royal Navy vessel whose deeds have served to inspire future generations of sailors; in Venturer’s case, she honours a WWII submarine which famously torpedoed a German U-boat while both vessels were submerged.