The 169 acre shipyard at Barrow at Barrow has a proven capability as a ‘world class’ design, fabrication, build, test and commissioning facility for large warships and nuclear powered submarines, with some of Europe’s largest indoor modular shipbuilding facilities, and a workforce of 5,080 people. Below, you can see the layout of the shipyard in facilities such as Devonshire Dock Hall and the new assembly shop. The huge Devonshire Dock Hall (DDH) covered shipbuilding hall, shiplift, superberth and a large fitted out ship module of over 2,000 tonnes emerging from its build hall.
Helping to ensure delivery of the planned MoD naval shipbuilding programme.
Barrow’s Key Warship Building Capabilities
- Ability to produce ‘the most fantastic ship in terms of value for money at the end of the day we have got an amazing piece of kit'. (Source: First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Alan West KCB DSC House of Commons Defence Committee, March 2004 - on HMS Albion)
- Barrowshipyard has 60% of the UK’s warship design capability. The 600+ designers including 200 professional marine engineers and 400 detailed design specialists representing the foremost concentration of marine design skills in the UK.
- Barrow is the UK’s ‘knowledge centre’ for submarine and large warship design, construction, test and commissioning. The National Audit Office highlighted earlier this year the importance to major defence projects of ensuring that labour skills are retained in order to avoid difficult to overcome technical challenges and hence project delay and cost overruns.More erecently in November 2006 evidence given by Lord Drayson, Defence Procurement Minister and Murray Easton of BAESYSTEMS highlighted the significance of sustaining skills at Barrowby committing to a regular drumbeat of orders.
- Barrow is a fully equipped modern shipyard . There are huge physical facilities available for both surface ship and submarine construction at Barrow which are suitable for forthcoming naval contracts,identified in the Defence oindustrial strategy of december 2005. Figure 1 below, lists the facilities available
Figure 1 Barrow assets and suitability for key contracts
| Key Process Steps |
Barrow Facility |
Capacity/capability |
CVF
Programme |
MARS
Programme |
Notes |
| Design/ Engineering |
Design Office (A45) |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Good unique design resource exists |
| Plate preparation and assembly |
New Assembly Shop |
Cutting and fabrication of plates |
Yes |
Yes |
Would need to invest in new plate line |
| Unit construction |
New Assembly Shop |
Steel fabrication |
Yes |
Yes |
Good facilities |
| Block construction |
DDH |
Largest Block 3 -4000T |
Yes |
Yes |
Would need to consider capacity with Astute |
| Assembly and outfit |
Superberth |
100m wide 2* 20cT ships |
Super-block construction |
Yes |
For CVF super-blocks not ideal as sloping |
| Final Outfit |
Buccleuch Dock |
2 ships max. width 30m |
No |
Yes |
MARS only. CVF too large for dock system |
| Test and Commission |
Buccleuch Dock |
2 ships max. width 30m |
No |
Yes |
MARS only. CVF too large for dock system |
(Source: PA Consulting, February 2004, Barrow Surface Ship Assets Study).
