British Maritime Metal Fabrication Comes to an End

The history of British ship building, with its associated metal fabrication facilities, came to an end this year. With the relocation from Portsmouth of Britain’s last remaining metal fabrication shipyard, it seems that ship building in the UK may well be a thing of the past.


http://www.pipecraft.co.uk/services/fabrication-solutions-in-metal/

The History of Portsmouth’s Shipyard

Towards the end of 2014, shipbuilding in Portsmouth finally wound down after more than 500 years. The decision, which was made by the shipyard owners BAE, saw the closure of Portsmouth’s shipyard with the relocation of many of its works to Scotland.

The historic shipyard has been using various methods of metal fabrication and maritime engineering to build advanced warships for the Royal Navy for over 500 years. The important dockyard was built in 1495 and was then granted royal status by King Charles II in 1670 after the creation of the modern Royal Navy.

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/nov/06/bae-closure-portsmouth-shipyard-row

Loss of Metal Fabrication Jobs from UK Built Warships

The closure of the shipyard leads to the potential loss of 1,775 jobs - 940 in Portsmouth and then 835 in Glasgow, Rosyth and Filton, near Bristol.

BAE Systems is a global provider of defence and security products, which includes warships. They decided to move the base to Scotland last year, creating a lot of unrest for the staff who contributed their highly skilled engineering abilities like metal fabrication, to the country’s defense industry.

The UK may well see some serious consequences for the future of shipbuilding and therefore the defense of the countries shores. 

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/nov/06/bae-closure-portsmouth-shipyard-jobs