November 26, 2013
Last week members of Davie’s executive management joined Babcock, Davie’s partner, at their shipbuilding and repair facility in Rosyth, United Kingdom for a tour and working session between the two companies. Rosyth is one of the shipbuilding and repair facilities in the United Kingdom owned and operated by Babcock, servicing the Royal Navy.
At Babcock’s facility in Rosyth, two newbuild aircraft carriers for the UK Royal Navy are presently being assembled. These impressive vessels are 280m long by up to 70m wide and displace over 70,000 tonnes. Upon delivery they will accommodate over 1,600 RN staff and act as an airbase for up to 50 fixed and rotary-wing aircraft; only a touch smaller in size and capacity than the United States’ massive Nimitz class carriers.
The partnering (alliance) model and build methodology used to build the two aircraft carriers in a cost effective and time efficient manner is highly innovative. By building highly pre-outfitted vessel sections (blocks) at six shipyards across the United Kingdom owned by different companies, what would otherwise likely be an overbearing project has been broken down into manageable pieces while simultaneously spreading industrial and regional benefits nationwide. The construction of the two carriers involves more than 10,000 people from 90 companies, 7,000 of them in the six shipyards building the sections of the ships.
Further joint working sessions in the UK are being arranged for the new year.
Picture: Davie and Babcock management on the deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth
