Ship Building in the U.K.

[gray_marian]

I don't think Alex Salmond has a hope in hell!..........Too many Labour supporters up here. Time will tell. Sad day for the history of Portsmouth.

[robpage]

Portsmouth have a lot of men employed in Ship Repair and maintenance , more than shipbuilding , our local MP is trying to score points , but I think the obvious has happened , the spectre of Scottish Independence could save the yard though

[vic mcclymont]

M last sea going trip was on the Clan MacIntyre, she entered Elderslie Drydocks in Glasgow for her 25 year survey.
After docking I was called to The Chief' cabin where i was introduced to this 5 foot nothing bachle, with his roll clenched between his lips and his two heavies. He (shorty) advised me that I could do no work, if I did the ship would be blacked and that I would be sacked. I could only change lamps. I looked at the Chief and he nodded that I should comply.
We were in dock for nearly ten days, and I noticed that the earth lamp flickered on and off.
On the last day we were preparing for undocking and the second changed over the generators, and lo and behold the eart fault disappeared.
I asked him to put the other gennie on the board, explaining why. Sure enough the earth fault returned.
Checking over the generator, I discovered one of the stator coils was lose, and chaffing.
The we non-descript appeared and I told him to fix it, it four o'clock, time to go home was the response. Tough **** was the reply, you set the rules fix it.
Next day I met him, non to please, he and his mates had to work until midnight, missing the boozer.
Such is life- revenge is best served cold.

[gray_marian]

Robpage,
Yes I am aware of repair & maintenance still at Portsmouth, but hopefully all sites involved can still be a going concern. Would like to think the Scottish voters would take this on board.....no pun intended.

[robpage]

Her Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Portsmouth is the home port to 60% of the Royal Navy's surface ships. The port is controlled and operated by the Royal Navy in cooperation with BAE Systems Surface Ships (previously known as BVT Surface Fleet). The base is also known as HMS Nelson.

The port houses several organisations, including the Naval Historical Branch, Royal Marines School of Music and Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. It employs over 17,000 people and has generated over 26,000 defence jobs in the region. so the shipbuilding loss of 1200 jobs is not as painful as shutting a Clyde yard where only 3600 men are employed

[John Pruden]

we will finish up having to many people with nothing to do boredom breeds mischief? its not as if us being members of the eu can go and follow our trades to Europe we cant just walk into korea and ask for a job we would be jailed? how much is it going to cost for working men to go on the dole. they have to work so their areas don't turn into ghettos cant the government see that and yet still more pour in from other lands we are turning our country into a refuge camp in a few years we need a party that dos not says what it is going to do!!!! first take of the shackles of Europe second have a clear out third rely on nobody we have all the skills we need at hand put this country back on the map? I think if I was young again I would go into politics even though I don't think I would go far its not a place for honest men? rant over.jp

[Red Lead Ted]

4``It was dirty politics that told BAE Systems where to build the carriers in the first place , namely Gordon Brown , I think that Alec Salmon has not thought the referendum through , why would the Royal Navy build its frigates in a foreign country , I think a lot of other things will fly South if Alec gets his way all the jobs at the Naval bases too . What is that old saying be careful of what you wish for , you may just get it

Couldn't agree more Rob with both your post and John Artons, But I thought the crazy gang the S.N.P. Would have expected a bit of this. Personally I would prefer Scotland to stay part of the U.K. We have gone through so much together stood side by side during world wars and conflicts the world over. This is a devastating blow to the shipbuilding industry on the Clyde. Listening to Nicola Sturgeon on the Beeb today I think the penny has dropped. They do not have a strategy for this event that was inevitable. The plain fact is it is cheaper to build any shipping in China, Or even Norway. They to have the necessary shipbuilding skills also. And dare I suggest here in Liverpool, And Belfast, And of course nowhere was there any shipping built than the Tyne. There are plenty of options around the English coast That could and would capitalize on the Clydes demise. Dirty politics at work. Certainly. But to be honest I have been warning Scots of this happening on another forum its just never been raised here. Alec Salmon and his crew have printed the voting forms drew the border line. Now its up to the Scottish people themselves we all make choices in life they have to make theirs dee ya ken Jimmy Regards to all my Scottish friends. Terry. p.s. Rob if Scotland votes for independence, There is no way any of the new type 26 frigates will be built on the Clyde. This is a very subtle shot across the bow for the S.N.P. I wouldn't despair for Portsmouth just yet this government have done more u turns than a driving instructer.

[vic mcclymont]

Sad day indeed Brian , but I stood by in many dry docks and watched the overstuffed body of British ship building die of over indulgence , to drill a hole in british Shipyard took a manager , a driller's marker out and mate , driller and mate , supervisor to check it , in Holland the fitter drilled a hole where you pointed it out . The shipbuilding had let itself get into that state , In the UK Ships Engineers could do no jobs even opening a valve to lap it in , in Holland you could do what you liked . I had lost my support for British Shipbuilding in the nineteen sixties , I have drydocked in the USA , Holland , Denmark , Singapore , Germany , Italy and the UK and the UK was consistently the lowest quality . So If I cried over the additional loss of shipbuilding now , they would be crocodile tears

Back in the days before nationalisation, shipyard owners and managers tried their best to get improvements in productivity with little or no success, the unions refused to countenance any changes.
When Labour nationalised the yards in the late seventies, one of the first diktats issued was that the Labour expected a a 20% improvement in output at no cost. The unions agreed and lo and behold the UK shipyard workers became as productive as their European counterparts.

[Captain Kong]

I remember in 2001 when Cunard was doing the contract to build QM2, $800.000.000 job.
Harland & Wolfe were given their bid. H&W asked Phony Bliar for a loan to start the job and get it underway before the first cheque came in.
Phony said NO. He offered the job to Chantiers in St Nazeire, Froggy France, a bancrupt yard that was closed.
Bliar was ingratifying himself to the europeans as he wanted to be President of the european union.
The French Government subsidised the Yard and she was built there.
They built the ship and they have Not stopped building ships ever since.
In Belfast 4,000 ship builders have lost their jobs, their skills have been lost no one learning the trades, they are all on benefits instead of ship building.
A good Labour man is our Bliar. the bersterd.
Brian

[vic mcclymont]

I remember in 2001 when Cunard was doing the contract to build QM2, $800.000.000 job.
Harland & Wolfe were given their bid. H&W asked Phony Bliar for a loan to start the job and get it underway before the first cheque came in.
Phony said NO. He offered the job to Chantiers in St Nazeire, Froggy France, a bancrupt yard that was closed.
Bliar was ingratifying himself to the europeans as he wanted to be President of the european union.
The French Government subsidised the Yard and she was built there.
They built the ship and they have Not stopped building ships ever since.
In Belfast 4,000 ship builders have lost their jobs, their skills have been lost no one learning the trades, they are all on benefits instead of ship building.
A good Labour man is our Bliar. the bersterd.
Brian

Tony Bliar's famous quote "We are not a nation of metal bashers anymore."