One of the largest buildings in the country, the new frigate factory at the BAE Systems shipyard in Govan, Glasgow, is taking shape.
The massive facility at Govan represents a huge boost in capability for UK naval shipbuilding.
One of the largest buildings in the country, the new frigate factory at the BAE Systems shipyard in Govan, Glasgow, is taking shape, with the roof supports now going onto the frame. pic.twitter.com/qZRtUjP3ks
— UK Defence Journal (@UKDefJournal) June 5, 2024
The new ‘frigate factory’ will consist of more than 6,000 tonnes of steel and 20,000m3 of concrete. It will be able to fit two Type 26 Frigates side by side.
Below is how the site looked last year.
Work has started on a huge expansion of the BAE Systems yard at Govan, with excavators currently filling in the old 'wet basin' to make way for a huge new 'frigate factory'. Read more here: https://t.co/uBquNHihd9 pic.twitter.com/zsgdzkX9Lx
— UK Defence Journal (@UKDefJournal) February 14, 2023
I previously reported that planning permission had been granted for a huge new shipbuilding hall at the BAE Systems site in Govan, with work on the first ship to be built in the facility starting soon.
It is hoped that Type 26 ships 3 to 8 will be assembled in this facility, with the first two being assembled outdoors. HMS Glasgow is shown below when she was being put together on the hard standing, adjacent to the wet basin area after she was built in sections in the existing build hall and joined together.
The new build hall wil allow ships to be built indoors, protecting them against the elements and would form part of an effort to modernise the yard. In terms of dimensions, the shipbuilding hall will be approximately 81 metres wide, 170 metres long and 49 metres high to the building ridge line. This represents a massive expansion of capabilities and capacity at the yard, as let’s not forget, the original build hall will still be available for use.
Can’t help thinking SpaceX would have had an operational facility by now 🙃
But it would have exploded 5 times in the process 😀
Are you joking. This is Britain. Planning, design and construction is on a perpetual path of getting longer, costlier and more complex. Few developments are super rapid.
This has gone up fairly quickly though. They’ll start using it for Belfasts assembly once the roof goes up.
That roof will be on very quickly.
Used to do warehouse builds and that sort of thing is faster than you would think from the areas involved.
There are whole companies that specialise in putting the insulated panels on the roof.
I do think the contractor has some, sensible and positive, incentives in place.
Yes I believe there on there way on a barge from Holland as we speak
This comes over as a very organised build with appropriate milestone incentives.
The Aeroplane?
The clue was at the end of the sentence.
I don’t know, the technology park building is going up quickly next to Cammell Laird.
It’s dead easy to build a new facility if you have a suitable large green field site, with well an ideal location and geology. Unfortunately in the U.K we built the Industrial Revolution on all of those sites and have to shoe horn, improvise and adapt what we have to what we need. Life would have been far simpler if the Facility could have been set further back, unfortunately the building already in place is listed. So fill in a dock that had been previously excavated and get piling. To be quite honest it’s really impressive bearing mind what they… Read more »
Always been kind of surprised that the building isn’t taller. But I guess the design is well planned to allow for what they expect to construct over the coming decade with fitting out to continue at Scotstoun.
I think the Masts will still be installed outside, I can see why they wouldn’t make room for those, they’re generally the outlier on the ship when it comes to height and would cause unessecary growth in the space required.
With masts now moving towards being Composite it is a no brainer. T26 masts are made in Norway and floated on a barge over to the UK for installation.
and with some extra capacity remaining next door if they really need it
That is some capacity BAE are adding. Barrow is getting another Hall iirc.
Have you ever seen the assembly halls at Norfolk or Groton ? DH dwarfs them, which always surprised me as US is always assumed to have everything bigger and better.
New Hall at Barrow ! Are you talking about the Dova Dock ?
Good to see this progress. We need 3rd & 4th T26 laid down asap. Not sure we can afford a break in RN T26 builds for Norwiegan T26s. Our T23s are beyond their sell by dates, especially with far less than minimum escorts in our fleet thanks to the “party of defence”.
3rd and 4th i.e Belfast and Birmingham, are already in progress
Thanks Bringer of Facts. I assume modules fabricated in the existing sheds waiting for transfer to the new frigate hall once completed.
Belfast is starting to be assembled in the current hall and will be finished in the new one. Birmingham is probably still pieces but steel was cut a while ago.
A good point that’s been made about the Norway deal is that they’ll essentially be doing the same tasks in the same region as some of our Frigates are so a gap would be manageable.
Though obviously no guarantee we win
The other POV is that with T26 build accelerating and no sign of T83 maturity something has to fill up the build slots?
Also true. Much as we’d like it there probably won’t be any more UK T26, so getting more orders in will hopefully keep the shipyard going. Guess Roysth will have to aim for something like MRSS
It isn’t like there is nothing to build.
T31 isn’t really expensive and T32 could be little more than that really maybe with a mission bay and Mk41.
Everyone agrees more frigates are needed and more VLS capacity is needed.
I mean as it stands there is nothing to build. If MRSS is struggling to get funding for even the amount of ships needed I don’t see where we’re gonna get more frigates.
MRSS build is not due yet, it’s supposed to follow on from the FSS for funding.
Where does the second MROSS fit in? I’m assuming any more MCM motherships (castles?) will be conversion jobs, but the second MROSS was definitely supposed to be bespoke.
SB I’m not feeling very comfortable about what’s happening up at Rosyth at present ! 1st one should have been in water Q4 23, then that went back to Q1 24 and we are nearly in Q3 and still no news.
I agree…..to a point.
There might just be a reason for that…..connected with the renegotiation……Mk41…..Sea Ceptor…..’n’-stuff……
Or maybe not and it is turning into a shambles.
I asked George on if there was any chance of an update. His answer was “we have been in but not allowed to take photos” which is interesting.
It could be that she is all painted up and soon to emerge, or not ?
Thunderous Silence on all fronts. 🤔
Something is going on that is for sure.
Delayed for sure but might be for very good reasons!
It’s no different to the US allowing RAN to buy or leave 3 Virginia SSNs, it really doesn’t matter as long as they all fight together if necessary. So we have to wait a little while longer to get all 8, that’s still working dojng exactly the same job in exactly the same water. Just not crewed by us.
Has Belfast’s build been slowed slightly so the new build hall had time to be built?
Don’t think so. Until Cardiff moves they can’t get the Belfast chunks into it. And they can still build it upto full halves of the ship, they may well do that before moving it
First steel cut on Belfast June 2021 and April 2023 for Birmingham.
AFAIK Belfast is currently in 3 to 4 large sections and some of, Birmingham’s module work is being shared by A&P on the Tyne and at Cammell Laird.
Thanks for the details BoF & others. Glad we’re not just kicking our heals while we wait for the frigate hall to be finished. We actually have a plan!
Sir Simon Lister of BAe is no mug, he smells an opportunity to leverage exports onto the RN T26 build.
With the new build hall could the Norwegian T26s be built in parallel?
The new hall is already factored into the RN T26 delivery/build rates/dates, so for any Norweigan frigates to be built alongside ours would only displace & delay our critically vital T26 program & delay the overdue retirement of our few remaining T23s at a time of dangerous “pre-war” tensions when we should be accelerating re-arming, not slowing it down or cutting any further.
Putting my tongue firmly in my cheek, I wonder if Fergusons could build them?!
Sorry DB, I only just got your post in my email inbox. 14 days to process/approve is terrible!
some modules have already been built at Fergusons, and maybe barged up river to Govan already.