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Such a long history of shipbuilding in Portsmouth - can trace OH's family back to early 1700's all working in Dockyard and/or in the Navy.
If Scotland leave the UK will we end up with Chinese Junks? ( A type of boat..........)
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For nearly 100 years there have been strong connections between the Royal Navy, Portsmouth, and Scotland and the announcement by BAE Systems to cut 1,775 jobs at its yards in England and Scotland is a devastating blow to Portsmouth and Filton near Bristol. For the moment it is not all bad news, albeit there will be some loss of jobs, for the yards in Govan, Scotstoun, and Rosyth, I say for the moment - because the future for the Scottish yards is far from being secure.
Scotland in times gone by was probably one of the world’s largest shipbuilding nation, many famous warships such as HMS Duke of York, HMS Howe, HMS Hood, HMS Indefatigable, and HMS Implacable to name a few were built on the Clyde, some of the other famous ships built on the Clyde were, the Cutty Sark, the Lusitania, the Queen Mary, the Queen Elizabeth, the Royal Yacht Britannia, the Empress of Britain, and the Aquitania.
Today the numbers employed in the shipyards on the Clyde are no where near the numbers employed in its heyday, in those days shipbuilding on the Clyde employed around 70,000 individuals working in approximately 19 shipyards, and at its peak Rosyth Dockyard, I spent nearly 25 years of my life in Rosyth, employed around 7,000 non naval personnel, many having moved from places like Portsmouth, Chatham, and Davenport.
The ship building industry on the Clyde survived two world wars and recovered from several deep recessions, alas the industry has been in decline for many years now and the future for the remaining shipyards on the Clyde is now in the hands of the politicians in Westminster and Edinburgh, history has shown that when you leave commercial decisions to politicians it is the politics that win and commercial issues that lose out.
There is much speculation surrounding BAE Systems announcement to bring to an end the long history of shipbuilding at Portsmouth and allow shipbuilding to continue at Govan and Scotstoun in Glasgow, albeit on a smaller scale.
The vote on Scottish independence will take place on the 18th September 2014 and some say that if BAE Systems had announced they were ending shipbuilding at Govan and Scotstoun instead of Portsmouth, they would have substantially enhanced the chances of the "Yes Vote" by handing Alex Salmond a gift on a silver plate - less than a year before the vote on Scottish independence.
We will never know, well probably not until the cabinet papers on this issue are released under the 30 year rule, whether the politicians in Westminster put pressure on BAE to make the decision they made.
My sympathies go out to all those in Portsmouth, Filton, Govan, Scotstoun, and Rosyth, who are going to lose their jobs as a result of this decision, alas I fear that even more will lose their jobs once the work on the new aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales is completed, and also when the outcome of the vote on Scottish independence is known.
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Although I have no connection with Portsmouth, and having lived in Australia since 1982, I still feel a sense of loss when things of this nature occur.
An Uncle served in the RN during WW2, and I know what his reaction would have been to this news :-(
No longer Great Britain, just Britain! :-|
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A sad day for The Royal Navy and a sad day for Portsmouth
:-(
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My Grandfather and I believe an uncle worked in the dockyard. I too worked there from 1956 to 1961. It will be the end of an era.
And, it seems all for political reasons.
I feel so sorry for the men and their families who will lose their jobs.
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My grandfather and his brother were shipwrights in Portsmouth Dockyard.
So many families have seen their menfolk off to sea from nearby shores, then stood on the top of Round Tower to watch them safely return to port.
I was sorry to hear that Portsmouth's long tradition of being a shipbuilding city was to end.
Gwyn
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Dear All
Hello
Earlier this week, the company BAE systems announced the end of shipbuilding in several locations in the UK.
One of the locations is Portsmouth.
It has played a key role in producing Royal Navy ships that have seen battle
on the seas throughout the centuries.
One of its most famous ships was King Henry VIII's the Mary Rose.
It was constructed between 1509 and 1511 but sank in 1545 while attacking a French invasion fleet. It was raised from the seabed in 1982 and now rests in a new museum in Portsmouth.
"Previous kings had navies and then sold off the ships in peace time, but now there was a much larger number of permanent ships.
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The dockyard continued to expand and develop so that by the middle of the 18th Century it had become one of the largest and most capable in the world.
When the HMS Dreadnought was built there in the early 20th Century it marked the creation of the "modern" battleship, changing the nature of naval warfare.
The yard was transformed by mass production techniques to build warships
fit for a modern naval fighting force.
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Patrizia O'Mahoney, who worked in the docks said:
"I was immensely proud to be continuing a family tradition and also to be involved in some small way in protecting my country from alien forces.
"This closure will cause loss of skills and will have a negative effect on the city.
"Our leaders simply cannot afford to cut back on our defences on land, sea or air"
"Never mind the politics, keep us safe from harm, keep the skills, the tradition and strategic position of our nation's premier naval base alive, keep Portsmouth afloat."
Shipbuilding in the UK. Another traditional industry gone with its rich history.
Take gentle care
Sincere wishes
Elizabeth
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