BAE Systems workers and officials at the keel laying ceremony for NUSHIP Hunter on 24 August. Photo: ADF.
The keel laying ceremony for the Royal Australian Navy’s first Hunter-class frigate was held at the Osborne Shipyard in Adelaide on Monday (24 August).
The ceremony is a centuries-old tradition where a coin is placed in the first structural elements of the keel of a new vessel to bring it good luck during its construction and service life. But with most larger vessels now manufactured in blocks – often across multiple sites – and then brought together at a final assembly facility, ships are rarely built from the keel up anymore.
The ceremony was attended by Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy, South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas, and new Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Matt Buckley, as well as officials from shipbuilder BAE Systems, and the UK Ministry of Defence.
The Hunter-class is based on BAE Systems’ Global Combat Ship (GCS) design which is being built as the Type 26 for the UK’s Royal Navy, and for Canada as the River-class.
The GCS design was selected in 2018 to replace the RAN’s Anzac-class frigates. Australia initially ordered nine Hunter-class frigates, although this number was reduced to six in the government’s 2024 Surface Fleet Review in favour of a smaller class of general purpose frigates which will be based on Japan’s Mogami-class.
An Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) report published in late 2023 highlighted several failings of the Hunter-class project, including an ineffective tender process, weight growth in the design, delays of more than 16 months even before the first metal was cut for the first ship, and cost overruns.
The new ships will be tasked with anti-submarine warfare as their primary task, although they will also have formidable air defence capabilities. Based around the Aegis combat system, the Hunter-class will be equipped with CEA technologies’ CEAFAR search and targeting phased arrays, ESSM, SM-2 and SM-6 air-defence missiles, and NSM anti-ship missiles.
Construction of 20 of the first ship’s 22 hull and superstructure blocks is in progress at Osborne, and the first vessel NUSHIP Hunter is scheduled to be delivered to the navy in the early 2030s.
A prefabricated hull block is hoisted into position for assembly. Photo: Screenshot, BAE Systems.
“Placing a coin under the keel of a ship is a naval tradition dating back to ancient times,” Mr Conroy said.
“Thought to bring good luck and protection to the ship, captain and crew, and perhaps too a symbol of the importance we place on those who protect us at sea. As we must.
“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,” he added.
“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.
Mr Malinauskas described it as a momentous day for South Australian shipbuilding.
“More than 2500 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,” he said.
“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.
“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 [Federal] Government to ensure we can capitalise on it.”
Concept art of an operational Royal Australian Navy Hunter-class frigate. Image: BAE Systems.
Managing Director of BAE Systems Australia – Surface Ships, David Shepherd added, “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.
“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.”
