HAMPSHIRE ship builders have put the finishing touches to a £17.5m overhaul of the Fortress of the Seas.

The Work at the BAE Surface Fleet Yard – a refurbished engine, modifications to her stern and new ‘intersleek’ paint – is designed to slash fuel consumption on HMS Edinburgh, pictured, by 15 per cent.

At 27 years old, she is the last of the Type 42 destroyers to undergo a major refit, which will extend her operational life.

Commander Paul Russell, said: “The close partnership between the ship’s company and BAE Systems has seen the refit programme surge ahead over the last few weeks, and the ship will be fit for operational service later this year. We now have to put Edinburgh through her paces at sea and turn a safe and fully equipped vessel into a war-fighting unit once again.”

Malcolm Fudge, BAE Systems’ project manager for the HMS Edinburgh refit, said: “We work side by side with the Royal Navy here in Portsmouth to maintain the surface fleet and have worked tirelessly over recent months to conduct this intensive refit.

“We are now embarking on a critical stage of the programme as we test the engineering work to ensure that she has been brought back to a fully operational standard before she returns to the fleet.”

She is set to be formally accepted back into the Royal Navy fleet in late October, followed by a Rededication Ceremony in early November with a six-month overseas deployment scheduled for May next year.