Royal Navy's HMS Defender makes return to Glasgow, the city it was built in

Royal Navy personnel from HMS Defender and HMS Glasgow joined Glasgow’s Lord Provost on Monday to carry-out a very important task.

The commanding officer of HMS Defender, commander Peter Evans visited Glasgow City Chambers where he handed over the affiliation with the city to commander Philip Burgess, the commanding officer of HMS Glasgow.

Constructed at BAE Surface Ships Govan and launched at Scotstoun, Defender is one of six Clyde-built Daring class Destroyers in service with the Royal Navy.

The Type 45 destroyer, which was built on the Clyde by BAE Systems, returned to Glasgow at the weekend with her 200-strong crew to hand over the affiliation which she has held since 2009 whilst she was still in build.

“HMS Defender has finally returned to her second home and affiliated city of Glasgow, a place that both I, and the ship’s company are always eager to visit and enjoy. Defender was, of course, built in Glasgow and we have a number of sailors who call the city home,” said commander Evans.

“Defender has been busy since her last visit, and it is testament to the engineering prowess of the ship builders here in Glasgow that we have completed missions all over the world, from the equator to the arctic. We have a great reputation at home and with our allies, and it is in part due to the strong support we get from our affiliated city and organisations. Now, with HMS Glasgow taking form, we will formally handover our affiliations to her.”

HMS Glasgow is the first of eight city-class Type 26 Frigates, to be built in her namesake city with HMS Cardiff and HMS Belfast also under construction at BAE Systems on the Clyde.

Commander Burgess said: “It is with great pleasure that the affiliation previously held by HMS Defender now fully passes to the ninth Royal Navy Ship which bears the name of the city. We look forward to building on those ties that we have already began to establish with the people and organisations in Glasgow.”

In addition to the handover, both commanding officers and a few crew members joined brigadier Andy Muddiman, naval regional commander Scotland and Northern Ireland and members of the Army and the Royal Air Force, to witness the raising of the Armed Forces Day Flag in George Square. The flag was raised ahead of the city’s forthcoming Armed Forces Day being held in the square on Saturday, June 24.