Shipbuilding to end at Portsmouth

[NigelC]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-g ... t-24831779

[JohnWillimas]

So let me get this straight... If the Jocks decide to stick two fingers up at the idea of a UK next year we won't be able to build our own ships for the Navy? Smart move for an island nation!

[Tomliner]

John ,no doubt Mr Potato Head will be trying to work how he can make political capital out of this! EricT

[NigelC]

Absolutely.

Sucks eh?

[DaveB]

It was reported on the news last night that redundances hadn't been finalised yet though it was likely that Govan would fair perhaps better than it might otherwise have done due to the impending Yes/No vote next year.

BAe Systems presence at Portsmouth is only comparatively recent anyway.. it certainly wasn't there when I left the Navy in '89. In fact, my last ship.. Andromeda, a BatchIII Leander.. was the last warship built in Portsmouth and it wasn't built by BAe!! I'm not sure what's been built by them to be honest other than a little plastic pig.. the Falklands guardship

What No.10 should be saying is that BAe will close in Govan if the vote goes the wrong way. That'd give em something to talk about

I was on HMS Wakeful in '83 and already, the MoD were putting refits out to tender. Govan won the contract for Wakeful and I spent a wonderful few weeks in that godforesaken hole Time came for completion.. the drydock was filled and various work was signed off. We left Govan en-route Faslane and probably less than an hour after leaving, we had to call for a tug to take us back. The prop shaft plummer block wasn't secure and was doing it's best to part company with the engine. Doesn't say much for the quality of workmanship there does it Happy days

ATB
DaveB

[gordon-in-aberdeen]

What No.10 should be saying is that BAe will close in Govan if the vote goes the wrong way. That'd give em something to talk about

Problem is Dave No. 10 are acutely aware of the fact that Govan would probably close if we get a YES vote up here. There are many people in the Glasgow area who are very worried that the rest of the Country will swing it to a YES. That would be absolutely devastating to the Glasgow and greater Clyde economy because the shipyards would almost certainly "inadvertently" close because the UK Government would pull the plug on the work if Scotland became independent.

There's reverse politics going on here. No. 10 cant afford the risk of alienating most of the Glasgow electorate by shutting them now, that would almost guarantee a YES for independence, so they're probably taking the least worse option, in the hope it helps prevent a YES happening

[DaveB]

Agree entirely Gordon

My 'No.10' comment was made somewhat tongue in cheek but it may well turn out to be a 'bottom line' as you say.

The plain fact of the matter is.. our Navy continues to get smaller.. NOT bigger and as ships pass their best, they're not replaced. The 'classes' of ship we have now compared to when I left.. let alone compared to when I joined up.. have decreased significantly and the number of ships within those classes has likewise decreased. It's simply not possible to sustain a workforce to build ships that aren't coming

Needless to say.. what what hinted at last night on the news is confirmed today and regardless of where the job losses will hit.. it's a shame to see another once proud, world beating industry dealt another blow.

I was annoyed by the reporter on the BBC 1 o'clock news waffling on that 'this brings to an end over 500 years of shipbuilding at Portsmouth'. While he didn't qualify that comment, it begs the question what ships exactly have been built at Portsmouth in recent history. By ships I mean ships.. not little floaters that could be knocked up on the Hamble.

ATB
DaveB

[NigelC]

Maybe it'll go the way of the military aircraft.

SEPECAT-amaran, Eurofrigate, Seabus Military, Panaqua

[DaveB]

Perhaps we should just buy off the Americans. We already know they have big shelves!

ATB
DaveB

[Garry Russell]

Can't even build liners nowadays

They say there is not enough new warships for two yards, but if they built liners as well there would be enough work.

All it needs is the will of those in power but they are too busy passing things out of the country where it is cheaper, but we lose the production capacity and design knowledge and that is worth more than money.