Drone footage, collected over the last twelve months, shows the rapid progress on what will be one of the largest buildings in Glasgow when completed.
For the avoidance of doubt, the drone footage was obtained legally by a qualified person in adherence to UK drone legislation and guidance. In addition, the drone is insured, and a flight plan was submitted using drone safety software.
Here’s the video.
This video, a sort of timelapse, shows the work on the new Glasgow 'frigate factory' over the last 12 months at the @BAES_Maritime yard in Govan. The company earlier announced that the new shipbuilding hall at Govan will be completed in 2024. pic.twitter.com/IiuU3lhOxB
— UK Defence Journal (@UKDefJournal) January 19, 2024
The planned completion date of the new Shipbuilding Hall at Govan was confirmed in a recent Parliamentary exchange.
James Cartlidge, Minister of State, Ministry of Defence, stated:
“BAE Systems has announced that on current plans the new shipbuilding hall at Govan will be completed in 2024. The new shipbuilding hall forms a key element of the improvements the company plans to make at its Clyde shipyards.
These include the digitisation of the facilities at both Govan and Scotstoun alongside a range of infrastructure and automation improvements such as tablets and kiosk screens on the shop floor to streamline production processes. The company also intends to open its Applied Shipbuilding Academy in 2024.”
For the avoidance of doubt, the drone footage was obtained legally by a qualified person in adherence to UK drone legislation and guidance. In addition, the drone is insured, and a flight plan was submitted using drone safety software.
Background
I previously reported that planning permission had been granted for a huge new shipbuilding hall at the BAE Systems site in Govan.
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 will allow ships to be built indoors, protecting them against the elements and would form part of an effort to modernise the yard to make it more attractive to future orders. In their Govan Assembly Hall planning consultation, BAE say that at present, full ships longer than 75 metres cannot be constructed undercover at Govan, something which is a major constraint to their business. Shown below is the current arrangement, the ‘SBOH’ is the facility in which ship hull sections are currently built before being moved outside and welded together. According to the consultation:
“As such, BAE Systems intends to develop a new ship building hall which is capable of meeting the United Kingdom’s ship building requirements. This necessitates the construction of a new ship building facility in Govan, one that will allow for at least two ships to be built simultaneously under cover and in single hull format.
The opportunity to provide a new modern ship building hall of this nature would allow BAE Systems to adopt improved shipbuilding techniques together with improved construction access and state of the art, dedicated, on-site office and amenities accommodation.”
The Ship Building Hall and Supporting Accommodation
The firm state that the shipbuilding hall will occupy part of the existing shipyard wet basin and will provide accommodation to allow for at least two ships to be built simultaneously under cover and in single hull format.
In terms of dimensions, the 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.
Brilliant stuff and the progress is impressive. What we need now is workforce stability and the end to the threat and actual strikes, as this does nothing for future confidence. Apart from that the future looks rosy.
A fine example of how the SNP (In conjunction with the Scottish Greens) of getting things done. Which I suppose is why the first Minister has invited the President of Turkey to Scotland so as to be able to ferry him around the Clyde in which to show off Scotlands ship building skills.
Haha very funny 😁 The SNP couldn’t organise a good time in a distillery.
Inshällah!
I read that and thought that HMG should read him the riot act, UK Foreign Policy and Defence responsibility is a sole Westminster issue. Someone should quietly have word with Erdogen and just let the Kurdish separatists have invited King Charles for a cultural visit. If this visit goes ahead Scotland may need to borrow extra Coppers. There are over 100,000 Kurds in UK plus 335,000 Greek Cypriots most of them would like to turn Recip into Kebab. And then you have the rent a mob pro everything bar UK mob, who will be out in force to support his… Read more »
United Kingdom Shipbuilding as written that’s all I’m saying emphasis on United Kingdom BAE must know something meanwhile the first minister is in cahoots with the president of Turkey working out a deal for more Turkish barbers for Glasgow
The senior officers of the Royal Navy have been engaged for the past 30 years or so in a myopic ego trip whose main motive is to pathetically try to rekindle past glories.In other words they have become prisoners of a somewhat lopsided version of their very own over romanticised interpretation of history.Sadly this ‘living in the past’ approach has resulted in the current RN being unfit to deal with or even assist in dealing with this nations current problems.We have spent billions on useless Aircraft Carriers but cannot stop tiny inflatables loaded with thousands of illegal immigrants from randomly… Read more »
And this has to do with the big shed…..??
AA
“thousands of illegal immigrants from randomly landing on our shores each day.”
40,000 arriving in small boats last year, 365 days in a year… A damning indictment of maths education at whatever school you should have attended.
You are correct Nathan,but somewhat pedantic.
And it’s all the “Sheds” fault ? 🤔🙄
No Frank of course not, but I imagine the purpose of the ‘Shed’ is primarily to build Frigates.Yes these are needed,but the RNs first priority should be maintaing the security of our home waters,and for that task you will need smaller coastal water boats.Now this has been obvious for many years but it doesn’t fit into the somewhat grand design of our Edwardian minded Admiralty.To that extent the ‘shed’ is not a priority,unless of course you view it as a purely political issue for Scotland.
It’s not the navy’s job to stop them and I’m quite sure if it was we could sink every one of them. Stopping them is a job for the French as we are legally obliged to rescue them and take them ashore. If the world becomes any more unstable it would much better to have a navy with modern frigates rather small fast boats only of use fighting off a unarmed dingy of migrants
Ah John, so we are back onto the age old refuge of blaming the French,they always come in handy don’t they.Oh and it’s the Navy’s job to deal with them if their political masters so decide.
We legally can’t stop them if they are in our waters we can’t send them back, so if the French don’t take them there is nothing we can do so yes we are blaming the French, and the navy is ment for dealing with enemy States not civilians, unless you are seriously advocating we shoot these immigrants in which case why not just let them drown or shoot them on the beaches much cheaper than even speed boats
So building small boats, that by the way one could buy from the likes of Sunseeker if you needs be, is more important than building frigates to hunt down Russian submarines or protect shipping from anti ship missiles and aircraft despite us being an island and as two world wars have amply proved dependent on a good 40% of our food from abroad, let alone most of our used technology these days to add to the equation. And you say the Admiralty are living in some Edwardian Black hole. It’s politicians you need to address if you feel that way… Read more »
If you have to “hunt down Russian submarines” as you say,I don’t think small boats,frigates or aircraft carriers is going to do you much good atall,do you.
What has that got to do with the Navy, if they were given the orders I’m sure they could blow them out of the water but no politician is going to do that are they. As for the Aircraft Carriers I suspect dealing with the likes of Putin is rather more to do with their existence than small boats in the Channel. If the navy was simply designed to be relevant in your idea of the present I guess we would simply concentrate on the sort of vessels built to protect Gibraltar’s harbour. Would that make the RN fit for… Read more »
In other words they have become prisoners of a somewhat lopsided version of their very own over romanticised interpretation of history.
Not something of which one could accuse you. Incidentally, what would under romaticised history be? Fairly uninspiring?
Many thanks for these regular reports George. A little optimism goes along way.