BAE & Pompey Dockyard Speculation

BBC News - BAE Systems: Portsmouth dockyard fears 'are speculation'

 

First shot in the battle, Clyde shipbuilding mafia vs Pompey. P1ss-poor reporting from both the ST and the Beeb though. When you read the ST piece, it's shot through with errors, not least suggesting that it is within BAES gift to shut "the dockyard", completely missing the "base" element. As for the bloke from the GMB suggesting subsidies are why BAE can't win merchant shipbuilding work, he's clearly never been in the real world.

Having said that, the writings on the wall (for shipbuilding) with the recent restructure into naval ships and naval support services. Unfortunately, I can see Govan surviving, Scotstoun closing and Pompey going back to a Fleet-time support plus T45 refit base. Which is a shame really, because (apart from the launch method) Portsmouth is a good facility and if you're going to retain a core workload (fleet support), it's easier to meet the overhead required for design staff, while keeping the steel & outfit trades deployed on support (and yes I know support is different to build - done both).

 

Ah but what happens when the Jocks get their independence?

 

Already mentioned by the Pompey MP on telly last night.

In the Wail today, it has Big And Expensive 'shutting the entire Naval Base' - obviously not realising that the Vosper/BAE shed and 'Ship MODULE construction' complex is but a tiny part of the yard as a whole. It would be good if some of these journo got off their arses and actually found out the facts - just once. Ships per se have not been built in Pompey since I think SIRIUS. Al they do now is build lumps which are then taken lsewhere for final assembly. All the 45 bow sections and masts were built in there before being taken to Scotstoun then Govan for final asembly and launch.

 

Mail today: Portsmouth's historic dockyard under threat as defence company considers mothballing 800 years of history | Mail Online and it was on the Portsmouth News website last night.

 

SB

Not entirely true. They have built HMS Clyde, one of the T&T OPVs and are building the Omani ships. Outfit content on all the blocks for T45 and QEC has been quite high.

Your point about window-licking journos is of course, spot on!