A cut above - construction of biggest ever British warships begins
07 July 2009
Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal marked the start of construction on the first of two new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers for the UK’s Armed Forces, by ceremonially cutting steel for the hull of the Queen Elizabeth.
The ship will be the largest ship to ever enter service with the Royal Navy and together with the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft and the new Type 45 destroyers, the aircraft carriers will form the cornerstone of Britain’s future ability to project military power worldwide.
Chief Executive of BVT Surface Fleet, Alan Johnston said: “The first steel cut for a ship marks the start of a vessel’s life, and when she enters service, the Queen Elizabeth is expected to make a significant contribution to the UK’s Armed Forces for at least 30 years.
“Both the Queen Elizabeth and her sister ship, The Prince of Wales will provide the UK with four acres of sovereign territory, which can be manoeuvred all round the world to protect the UK’s interests abroad. The priority of the BVT and the rest of the Aircraft Carrier Alliance is to deliver a step change in capability to our Armed Forces, and I have no doubt that we will do this in the form of the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.”
Mike Pettigrew, Babcock Marine said: “First cut of steel is a tremendous milestone in the life of the project, we at Rosyth are preparing the ground for the arrival of the superblocks that will become the Queen Elizabeth class and clearly this event brings into focus the whole programme”
Ed Lowe, Managing Director of Thales UK’s naval business, said: "For all those in our design teams who have been working so hard in the transition of the design into build, today's steel cutting ceremony in Glasgow is a tangible sign of real progress and an important step towards delivery of the Royal Navy's most important programme.”
Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, Quentin Davies MP: “The Ministry of Defence is committed to ensuring the UK’s Armed Forces are modern, versatile and well equipped for present and future operations. The versatility of the design together with the long service life of these ships will ensure that we will be able to deal with the uncertainties of the future for years to come and they will deliver the support to deployed UK forces around the globe.”
“It is an honour to mark this historic moment with Her Royal Highness here in Govan. We also must not forget the ongoing work of the legions of people in industry i
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