The first vessel to be built in Portsmouth Naval Base for 37 years has been named in a ceremony held in Bay B of VT Shipbuilding’s main ship assembly hall.

Bearing the name Woolston - celebrating the firm’s links with its former shipyard on the River Itchen in Southampton - the 90-metre barge was named by Wendy Hussain, wife of the base’s commander, Commodore Amjad Hussain.

The 1,350-tonne steel vessel will be used to transport the bow sections, masts and funnels of the Royal Navy’s new Type 45 destroyers, currently being constructed at VT, for assembly by BAE Marine in Scotland.

It is the first ‘ship’ built under the banner HM Naval Base Portsmouth since Leander-class frigate HMS Andromeda was sent down the slipway in 1967.

After the ceremony, Woolston - described by VT Shipbuilding Managing Director Peter McIntosh as “it’s big — and it’s black!” - headed slowly out of the shade of the cavernous hall into the glare of a cloudless blue sky, to be wheeled on to another barge berthed directly outside in a manoeuvre which took around three hours.

The ‘mother barge’ was then moved to the head of an adjoining dock before being submerged ready for the Woolston to be floated off.

For the launch of all future ship sections or complete ships at the factory, structures will be rolled out by trolley from the assembly hall and placed on the Woolston barge for submerging and floating.

VT will also make the vessel available for charter.

“The launch of the Woolston is a significant milestone in the regeneration of Portsmouth Naval Base,” said Cdre Hussain.

“It is yet another demonstration of the integral part that VT Shipbuilders are playing in the construction of the most capable class of destroyers ever built for the Royal Navy.”