Essex joins HMS Venturer family as under-construction Type 31 frigate is affiliated with county - 27th February 2024 at 3:14pm

A CGI image of HMS Venturer at sea with HMS Queen Elizabeth and a Wildcat helicopter (Picture: Royal Navy)

The Royal Navy's new frigate HMS Venturer is to be affiliated with Essex – the first time in 30 years the county will have a ship to call its own.

Civic leaders have agreed to be affiliated with the Type 31 frigate – currently under construction in Scotland – linking the warship with more than 1.8m people in the county, from Chigwell to Colchester and Braintree to Basildon.

The decision for HMS Venturer to be bound with Essex stemmed from initial inquiries from community leaders in Southend-on-Sea, joining the Worship Company of Ironmongers, which is already affiliated with the new warship.

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"It is wonderful that HMS Venturer is affiliated with the county of Essex," said Commander Chris Cozens, the frigate's Senior Naval Officer.

"The rich naval and maritime history combined with its modern outlook is a fitting choice for a 'Next Generation Frigate'.

"We both share a focus on community outreach, linking the sea to science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and industry to benefit our national prosperity."

Affiliations between warships and local communities are a time-honoured tradition, serving as symbols of unity and mutual support.

While most warships are affiliated with specific towns, cities, or boroughs, there are occasions where this bond extends to entire counties.

Examples of such affiliations include the current frigates HMS Kent and Sutherland, each of which is linked with the county bearing the same name.

HMS Venturer under construction in Scotland (Picture: Royal Navy)

HMS Venturer is named in honour of the pioneering submarine that achieved the historic milestone of successfully torpedoing and sinking an enemy vessel while both crafts were submerged.

The Royal Navy is expecting the delivery of the first five Type 31 frigates by 2028, with each vessel costing £250m.

Set to replace the Type 23 frigates, the new Type 31s are a crucial part of the Government's strategy to bolster the Royal Navy's fleet of warships in the years ahead.

Watch: The steel was cut on the first Type 31 last year.