Warship launches on River Clyde

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HMS Defender takes to the Clyde before a crowd of more than 10,000 people

Thousands of people attended the launch of the Royal Navy's latest Type 45 destroyer on the River Clyde.

HMS Defender is the fifth of six ships commissioned to replace the existing fleet of Type 42 destroyers.

With a price tag of £605m, each of the 150m-long vessels weighs about 7,350 tons and is designed to provide air defence cover.

HMS Defender was launched from BVT's shipyard at Govan in Glasgow as more than 10,000 looked on.

The yard has previously launched HMS Dragon in November 2008, HMS Diamond in November 2007, HMS Dauntless in January 2007 and HMS Daring in February 2006.

The new vessels are due to come into service later this year and in 2010.