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  • While certainly true that it's going to kill the area, sadly I think the options for Appledore had pretty much run out imo.

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    • Originally posted by Sparky42 View Post
      While certainly true that it's going to kill the area, sadly I think the options for Appledore had pretty much run out imo.
      They peaked doing modules for the RN aircraft carriers. They could have possibly continued in this way had the Type 31E project got off the ground, and Babcock were the successful bidder.
      They had also recently, unsuccessfully bid for an arctic survey vessel, which had been their only hope until a Type31 decision was made. I'd be inclined to suggest the yard, like British shipbuilding, was a casualty of Brexit. All other yards are surviving on RN contracts.
      For now, everything hangs on implementation of the CoDF report.

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      • Originally posted by na grohmit� View Post
        They peaked doing modules for the RN aircraft carriers. They could have possibly continued in this way had the Type 31E project got off the ground, and Babcock were the successful bidder.
        They had also recently, unsuccessfully bid for an arctic survey vessel, which had been their only hope until a Type31 decision was made. I'd be inclined to suggest the yard, like British shipbuilding, was a casualty of Brexit. All other yards are surviving on RN contracts.
        For more than a century Britian was the Industrial power house of the World sustained by an immense Merchant Fleet all under enterprising ownership. This was backed up by a capable Naval presence based world wide. Since the early 1980's there has been a collapse of the Merchant Fleet AND it's ship building base with no plan B to maintain a critical level of industrial capability. Defence has been wounded , lamed, and a bit thread bare in power requirements. With the go alone policy the leaky holes in the dykes will have to be plugged by themselves alone.
        Interestingly Canada has opted for the Type 26 frigate ASW for their Navy.

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        • Originally posted by ancientmariner View Post
          For more than a century Britian was the Industrial power house of the World sustained by an immense Merchant Fleet all under enterprising ownership. This was backed up by a capable Naval presence based world wide. Since the early 1980's there has been a collapse of the Merchant Fleet AND it's ship building base with no plan B to maintain a critical level of industrial capability. Defence has been wounded , lamed, and a bit thread bare in power requirements. With the go alone policy the leaky holes in the dykes will have to be plugged by themselves alone.
          Interestingly Canada has opted for the Type 26 frigate ASW for their Navy.
          More telling is Canada is ordering 15 Type 26 frigates while the RN is only getting 8!
          As for the decline of the ship building this started right after the end of WW2 (sorry "The Emergency") with the end of Empire. The Merchant Navy went with the decline of the heavy industries and manufacturing. Without the civil base to sustain the yards they became reliant upon navy orders but not these too have dwindled. Sadly this may only be the start of a number of other yards going to the wall: Rosyth with the PoW starting sea trials next year the amount of work there will soon decline and if there is no Type31 order then it is bleak for new builds.

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          • Worth noting that not one of the newbuild RN OPVs have managed to enter service yet. The one that has been launched has had to return to the builders with mechanical and quality issues. As these ships were ordered, only to keep the Clyde yards open until the frigates were built. Verolme went down this route in 1984, hoping for a second or third Government order to ensure their survival(P32 and a research vessel). The subsequent orders never materialised, and there is much debate whether they were ever even in the pipeline.
            There is still a huge demand for merchant vessels, but only at low cost. It is difficult to understand how Babcock Appledore could not compete with the Tiny yards on the Rhine and Schelde putting out tonnage for the Likes of Arklow Shipping or Wagenborg.
            For now, everything hangs on implementation of the CoDF report.

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            • Originally posted by EUFighter View Post
              More telling is Canada is ordering 15 Type 26 frigates while the RN is only getting 8!
              As for the decline of the ship building this started right after the end of WW2 (sorry "The Emergency") with the end of Empire. The Merchant Navy went with the decline of the heavy industries and manufacturing. Without the civil base to sustain the yards they became reliant upon navy orders but not these too have dwindled. Sadly this may only be the start of a number of other yards going to the wall: Rosyth with the PoW starting sea trials next year the amount of work there will soon decline and if there is no Type31 order then it is bleak for new builds.
              Whens the MLU for the Type 45's coming up? Could that give some yardwork?

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              • In terms of Appledore, there is reports that the MOD offered a package of 60 million worth of work to keep the yard open but Babcock wouldn't accept it, though I'm not sure what exactly they were meant to be working on. In terms of the River B2's there has been some shocking bits like those sheared bolts being glued on, but I think the first is about to enter service soon enough finally (though like us where the RN is going to find the manpower for them is another question). For Appledore itself given it's limited height and it's tidal fit out area I'm not really surprised that it's been increasingly in trouble in terms of viability.

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                • Did the TOBA effect Applrdore?

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                  • Originally posted by DeV View Post
                    Did the TOBA effect Applrdore?
                    Torsion bar Antenna?
                    For now, everything hangs on implementation of the CoDF report.

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                    • It did, because Appledore got none of the work.
                      Scotland, in return for not becoming independant, was promised work on the next generation of Frigate. However when the numbers of Type26 to be produced was reduced, the OPV was instead offerred as a sweetener, at roughly the same cost per unit as the frigate would have cost.
                      Indeed, Cork has made more from the RN since the completion of the Aircraft carriers than Appledore has.
                      For now, everything hangs on implementation of the CoDF report.

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                      • Originally posted by na grohmit� View Post
                        Last time I checked there was two of them tied up at the Cruise Liner berth.
                        Photo taken yesterday I think.
                        For now, everything hangs on implementation of the CoDF report.

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                        • Yeah it was one of the other hulls in the GRaving Dock, saw her leave this afternoon, also saw some workers on the Deep Water during the week, think they were NI ones as the vans had orange licence plates, not Irish ones.

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                          • One of the Peacocks has been in the Graving dock.
                            For now, everything hangs on implementation of the CoDF report.

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                            • Another Royal Navy supplier goes under – the closure of Appledore shipyard
                              Unable to follow up their success building OPVs for export, and with no other orders forthcoming, last week Babcock made the sad announcement that the Appledore shipyard will close in March 2019. Here we examine the background and potential impacts of this decision.

                              A history of boom and bust
                              The Appledore yard has been building ships since 1855 under a variety of owners and has faced closure on at least 3 occasions, only to be saved by new buyers. In addition to naval vessels, historically the yard built commercial coasters, tugs, dredgers, ferries and large yachts. Since the 1990s the majority of the work has been naval, securing the contract to build three fine vessels for the RN, survey ships HMS Scott (1997), HMS Echo and HMS Enterprise (2002). The yard constructed blocks for the QEC aircraft carriers and delivered the first section of HMS Queen Elizabeth for assembly in Rosyth in 2010. Babcock scored a rare victory for UK warship exports in July 2010 when they won the contract to build three 90m OPVs for the Irish Naval Service (Average price £55M). The customer was very pleased with the ships and placed an order for a fourth and final vessel, the Lé George Bernard Shaw, delivered to Cobh on 11 October 2018.

                              The main construction dry dock on the site was covered in 1970 and is 3,958m2, served by two 60-tonne overhead cranes which together can move fully outfitted blocks up to 100 tonnes for assembly. In addition, there is a 26m x 30m covered facility used to fabricate further units or build small craft. The outfitting and commissioning quay can accommodate vessels up to 200m in length.


                              The last of more than 350 ships built by Appledore? Hull blocks of the of Lé George Bernard Shaw being assembled in the covered dry dock, Summer 2017 (Photo: Irish Naval Service)

                              A community pays the price
                              As work on the Irish OPVs has tailed off, for the past few months, 140 workers from the 199-strong Appledore workforce have been making a tiring 4-hour daily commute to and from Plymouth to work in Devonport Dockyard. Appledore’s workforce has been declining in size for some time but Babcock will not make anyone forcibly redundant, promising it will offer jobs at its other sites to the remaining 199 workers. This will probably entail the majority relocating permanently to Plymouth, Rosyth or Faslane. This will be an unwelcome upheaval but a less bleak future than for many shipyard workers who have faced redundancy elsewhere. The greatest impact will be felt by businesses in Appledore, Bideford and in the wider North Devon economy which has little manufacturing and is heavily reliant on farming and tourism.
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                              Last edited by na grohmiti; 5 November 2018, 11:51.
                              For now, everything hangs on implementation of the CoDF report.

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