Defences down for a fine launch

HMS Defender takes to the Clyde

The recent launch of HMS Defender was a  chance to see a rare combination of community, industry and service to country in action.
As time and overseas competition have conspired to strip the Clyde’s shipbuilding muscle away, the launch of a fifth Type-45 anti-aircraft destroyer was an opportunity for Glasgow and the West of Scotland to cherish and renew ancient bonds with the sea, the ships and the people who crew them.
The atmosphere at BVT Surface Fleet’s Govan yard on a wintry October day was festive, as parties of schoolchildren capered with soft foam swords and Defender shields. Here and there, duels would break out in the shadow of the yard’s enormous fabrication shed, a towering backcloth for the enthusiastic performers.
The day was certainly one for people-watching. Many thousands of schoolchildren were joined by services veterans, sea cadets, Royal Navy personnel, mothers and fathers with toddlers, senior citizens enjoying rekindled memories, and the curious.
Defender sat aloof on the slips, patiently awaiting her big moment as cameras whirred, spectators pointed, waved to the deck gangs aboard the destroyer or simply took in the atmosphere.
Reflecting on the day, Chief in command Fleet Admiral Trevor Soar said: ‘The thousands gathered here to witness the launch of Defender are testament to the pride Scotland rightly takes in its shipbuilding industry… Defender’s affiliation with her home town of Glasgow will ensure strong links live on and gives the Royal Navy the chance to give something back to the community that worked so hard to deliver her and her five sister ships.’
The arrival of the launch party aboard the paddle steamer Waverley underlined the sense that this was a day for tradition. Like the Defender, the Waverley is heir to a proud history. Built at A & J Inglis in 1946, she is the world’s last sea-going paddle steamer. This vessel replaced the original Waverley that joined ‘the little ships’ in the evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk, France, in May 1940 and was crippled during the rescue.
As the dignitaries, who included Glasgow Lord Provost, Bob Winter and Parliamentary Under Secretary (Veterans) Kevan Jones, disembarked, Chief Executive of BVT Surface Fleet, Alan Johnston, said: ‘Any launch is fantastic. We see hundreds, perhaps thousands, of young people here today. In that group, I believe, we’ll find the engineers, the naval architects, indeed, the workforce that will build the ships of the future.
‘I think it’s very important that we relate to young people in this community. We continue with apprentice recruitment, young engineers, graduates, undergraduates… it’s very important that we take a wide spectrum of talent into our company.’
The workforce who built the ship were delighted with the launch. Gary Billson and Andrew Gilchrist, both first-year apprentice technicians at BVT are part of the ‘wide spectrum of talent’ incorporated
into the BVT.
‘I did physics at university for three years, then I dropped out,’ explained Gary. ‘I wanted to go for a different way of study. One of the most important aspects for me here is personal development. In the shipyard you get such a vast experience of engineering. It can take you anywhere.’
He added: ‘I couldn’t tell you where I might see myself in a few year’s time. If I’m here, great. If not; I’ll know I’ve had the best training there is.’
Andrew, from Baillieston, anticipates a busy apprenticeship: ‘In our first year at college we’re working towards an HNC and the two years after
that we’re doing day release and working towards
our diplomas.’
Like many of his colleagues, Andrew has a family tradition in shipbuilding.
‘While my family is from the East End, my mum came from the West End and she had uncles who worked in the shipyards. It’s something that Glasgow’s famous for and I’m doing my bit.’
The Defender offered the crowd an awesome spectacle and a hugely emotional occasion fuelled by music from the Band of the Royal Marines.
From the solemn service performed by Chaplain of the Fleet, the Venerable John Green, with the backdrop of the Navy hymn, Eternal Father, Strong to Save, to the naming of the ship and a more secular ‘blessing’ with champagne by Lady Gillian Massey, wife of Vice-Admiral Sir Alan Massey; the event almost went like clockwork.
Almost! The Defender lingered for a few moments then, urged on by the crowd and with a helping hand from Lady Massey, the ship eased down the slips, accompanied by a roar of approval from the 13,500 onlookers. The 7400-tonne destroyer entered the Clyde to a cacophony of fireworks, screaming drag chains, and a cheer that echoed across the city and, surely, down generations. As Defender was made safe, all eyes turned to the empty slip, a familiar shape gone from the Govan landscape, then across to Meadowside, where a huge gathering of onlookers stood, each with their tradition to keep and
stories to tell.
For Leslie Ross, from Bellshill, who joined a party of friends at the launch, it was catch-up time.
‘I lived in Glasgow for 30 years,’ he explained. ‘Launches always took place during the week when I was working so this was a gap I wanted to fill in. I wanted to see a launch,’ he said. ‘What struck me most was when the ship moved and she took to the water for the first time, there was a big, empty space where she had been sitting.’
He nodded approvingly towards the Defender as tugs turned the big ship into the fitting-out basin, ‘It really is a magnificent piece of engineering.’
Regional Business Manager for the Royal Navy in Scotland and Ireland, Lieutenant-Commander Gary Farmer, was part of a recruitment team at the launch. He said: ‘Our main role is to raise the profile of the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines. We’ve certainly had a lot of interest from the audience and hopefully, we’ll get some good candidates.’
Gary, from Clarkston, now lives in Kinross. He gave a serviceman’s perspective on the Defender and her sisters: ‘There’s no doubt the Type-45 is a fantastic class of ship. The skill that goes into building them at the BVT yard is exceptional and I’m sure the men and women of the Royal Navy who go to sea in these ships will be very impressed.’
He added: ‘The Royal Marines are an integral part of the Navy and their history goes back many years. Whether it’s by air or by land, they add to what the Navy can bring to the party.
‘The Type-45 isn’t a troop carrier, but she does have the capacity to take an military force on board. The kind of accommodation she offers is certainly above what we’ve had in the past and she offers us a platform from which the Marines can be deployed.’
As the daylight began to fade at Govan and the crowds made their way home, the Defender docked for the first time. To her port side was the bow section of the Duncan, her sister ship.
In the fabrication shed, the stern and midships are being crafted and, months down the line, another chapter in Glasgow’s shipbuilding history will be opened, another launch day will be planned, another Type-45, the sixth of the six, will take to the waters of her native River Clyde.