NAVY NEWS, AUGUST 2007 11
‘‘The RN has a great future’The RN has a great future’
Statistically
AFTER a decade of planning, years of longing,
Whitehall says it needs all three ports for the foreseeable will be spread around the UK with BAE Systems enjoying
speakin
g...
and months of uncertainty and rumour, the
future – although a review will continue to see how to make the lion’s share of the work at Barrow and on the Clyde,
From keel to masthead the ships
Government has committed itself to the
best use of the bases, their facilities and spare capacity. with the remainder carried out in Portsmouth by the VT
will be around 1
The First Sea Lord hailed the double announcement as Group, by Babcock in Rosyth, and by Thales.
70ft – 20ft taller
cornerstone of Britain’s Armed Forces for the
than N
“a very big day for defence and for the Royal Navy”. BAE and Vosper will pool their shipbuilding talents in a
elson’s column
next half century.
He continued: “This is a powerful ‘joint venture’ between their yards at Govan on the Clyde
Each carrier will displace
First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Jonathon Band said the
statement by a world player. We intend to and Portsmouth; the ship hall at the latter is currently being
around 65,000 tonnes full
y
decision to invest almost £4bn in HMS Queen
have a powerful navy in the future – we are a extended by VT to pave the way for carrier construction.
laden – the equivalent of more
Elizabeth and Prince of Wales – two
player on the world scene. Like the Type 45 destroyers built to escort them, the
than 32,000 famil
y cars
‘super-carriers’ three times the
“There has been a lot of uncertainty. What carriers will be built in huge segments or blocks; the ‘jigsaw’
Firepower will com
prise 36
size of Britain’s current flat-
is the future of the dockyards? Will we get will be pieced together at Rosyth.
Joint Strike Fighters, bolstered
tops – ensured his Service
these carriers? The first steel is due to be cut at the end of next year and,
by four airborne earl
y war
would “continue to be one
“This decision means that Portsmouth when construction of the vessels reaches its climax, roughly
ning
aircraft
of the great navies of the
has a very exciting future as a base for the 1,000 people in each of the yards involved will be
world”.
Royal Navy – and the Royal Navy has a working on the carriers. Overall, the project will
Tanked-up, the ships will car
ry
The investment, announced by Defence
great future, something Nelson would create or support 10,000 jobs in the
more than 8,600 tonnes of fuel –
Secretary Des Browne to Parliament, also guillotined
have liked.” UK.
enough for a famil
y car to make
uncertainty which surrounded not just the carrier
Whitehall has already spent £300m When the duo enter
a dozen round trips to the moon
project, but also the fate of Britain’s naval
on designing the two carriers, which service – Queen Elizabeth The
fl ight deck area is the
bases – especially Portsmouth.
were first outlined as cornerstones of in 2014 and two years later for eq
uivalent of 49 tennis cour
ts or
Admiral Band categorically
Britain’s her sister – they will be the largest three f
ootball pitches
stated that the carriers and
military ships to have served under the White
their Type 45 destroyer
policy in Ensign.
The hangar is eq
uivalent to 12
escorts would be based
the “Despite all the trials, tribulations and
Olympic swimming pools
in Portsmouth, whose
uncertainty of the past year, we should take particular Each propeller will weigh 33
future was guaranteed
encouragement from this announcement,” Admiral Band tonnes – two and a half times as
– as were the futures Strategic
signalled the entire Service. heavy as a double-dec
ker bus
of Devonport and Defence
“The whole Naval Service should be cheered by the
The two lif
Faslane. Review of
excellent news. It puts in place another crucial piece in the
ts which ferry
aircraft from the hang
1998.
jigsaw that is the future Navy vision.
ar to the
flight dec
Work on
“I exhort you to go forward, hugely-encouraged by this
k are strong enough
to carry
the ships
good news for UK defence as a whole.”
the entire ship’s
complem
As for the naval base review, a team has been
ent of 1,450 men and
women
looking into the future of all three RN ports for
a good 12 months with a view to making them
A team of 67 chefs (sor
ry
– and the front-line Fleet – more efficient.
logisticians(catering service
s))
The Sword of Damocles has hung
will work in four g
alleys, capable
precariously over Portsmouth
of dishing up meals to 960
especially.
people an hour
It hangs no longer. The risks
Junior ranks accommodation
of axing any one of the
surpasses the messes on the
three bases outweigh
existing trio of car
riers; sailors
any possible financial
will share six ber
th cabins with
benefits.
large bunks and adjace
nt toilet
facilities and sho
wers
The diesel generators whic
h
provide power f
or the ship and
her electric engines
will produce
enough wattag
e to run a town
the size of Swindon
A medical team 1
1-strong will
run an eight-bed
medical suite,
operating theatre
and dental
surgery
NNEW 011_NN_Aug.indd 1EW 011_NN_Aug.indd 1 225/7/07 19:27:345/7/07 19:27:34
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