TUGS & SALVAGE

A tug and barge service delivers new Aircraft Carrier sections – by Jack Gaston

16 years ago

The first major transfer of prefabricated blocks (sections) for the new aircraft carrier, ‘HMS Queen Elizabeth’, was completed on 8 April when the barge ‘Osprey Carrier’ arrived in the Firth of Forth, towed by the tug ‘Vigilant’.

Barge ‘Osprey Carrier’ leaves Appledore with two major sections for the hull of HMS Queen Elizabeth.

Two important blocks, including the bulbous bow, were loaded in Babcock’s yard at Appledore and transported to Rosyth where two new carriers for the Royal Navy will be assembled.

This first delivery by barge represented an important milestone for the project headed by the ‘Aircraft Carrier Alliance’ (ACA) a consortium comprising BAE Systems, Thales UK, and the Ministry of Defence.

Transportation of these, and many more prefabricated sections to follow, is the responsibility of Henry Abrams & Sons Ltd of Glasgow, a company with a long seafaring history. The company was awarded a subcontract by the ACA, reported to be worth £85m, for the transportation of sections from six participating yards across the UK to Rosyth for final assembly.

On receiving the contract Mr Michael Abrahams said, ‘We now plan to employ naval architects, structural engineers, design engineers, graduates, and administration staff to work alongside our existing staff and consortium partners to ensure safe and successful delivery of all cargoes to Rosyth’. The consortium working with Abrahams on the project include Abnormal Load Engineering Ltd, Anchor Marine Transportation Ltd, Malin Marine Consultants and Osprey Shipping.

Not all of the component sections being built for the ACA project will be transported by tug and barge. Henry Abrahams & Sons Ltd have already been responsible for the delivery of three sections aboard ship.

This first consignment, using the barge Osprey Carrier, involved two bow sections weighing approximately 400 tons. Osprey Carrier was loaded with the sections inside the Babcock assembly hall at Appledore. In order to manoeuvre the barge safely in the shallow waters in the area, the powerful shallow draft tug Vigilant, from Rederi Englesman, was engaged by Abrahams to carry out the entire operation. The tug Willpower, from Williams Shipping, was used to assist during the departure from the Appledore yard.

The project to construct the two 65,000 tonne aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales is going according the plan, with the ships scheduled to enter service in 2016 and around 2018 respectively. Construction of various blocks and component parts is now underway at five of the six UK shipyards involved (Glasgow, Rosyth, Newcastle, Devon and Portsmouth) and the sixth, Birkenhead, is due to begin work this summer. Final assembly is taking place in the No 1 Dock at Rosyth, the largest dry dock in the UK.