Royal Navy wor-ship order completed early
Thursday 25 August 2011 11:53 AM
WORKERS at a South Tyneside yard have turned back the clock to the glory days of warship building after successfully completing part of a landmark Royal Navy contract.
A&P Tyne at Hebburn staged a VIP ‘sail away’ event yesterday to celebrate the completion of a section for aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.
The £55m contract – which was delivered five weeks ahead of schedule – is helping protect hundreds of jobs at the yard until 2014 and boosting the UK’s defence capabilities.
Once assembled at Rosyth, in Scotland, the finished carrier – the largest naval surface vessel ever built in the UK – will be taller than Niagara Falls and almost the same height as the Tyne Bridge.
The Hebburn facility is the only North-East yard building sections for the Royal Navy’s two new carriers, with work on HMS Queen Elizabeth soon to be followed by similar work on HMS Prince of Wales.
Yesterday’s celebratory event, which took place inside the completed section, evoked memories of HMS Ark Royal, the last aircraft carrier built on the Tyne, more than 30 years ago.
Darren Brown, A&P Tyne project director, who was a teenage apprentice on the Tyne when the Ark Royal was constructed, said: “I never thought I’d be involved in another aircraft carrier, particularly the size of this one.
“It’s much bigger than the Ark Royal. It’s the biggest warship ever built in the UK and it’s brought shipbuilding back to the Tyne.”
A&P Tyne managing director Stewart Boak congratulated his workforce for delivering centre block 03 of the carrier, which will form part of the flight deck and hangar, more than a month ahead of schedule.
He said: “The building blocks are now firmly in place to move on to future success.”
The Hebburn workforce will soon start work on a section for the second carrier, HMS Prince of Wales.
Deputy Commander in Chief Fleet, Vice Admiral George Zambellas, heaped praise on the quality of workmanship at A&P Tyne.
Addressing yard bosses, contractors, industrial partners in the scheme and civic dignitaries, Vice Admiral Zambellas said: “You’re setting the standard for everyone else.
“This block is part of a shared environment across the maritime sector.
“It’s truly an endeavour to celebrate and be passionate about.”
He predicted both carriers would be in service for 50 years, adding: “Tyneside can justifiably be proud of their part in this extraordinary journey.”
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