I am glad that I am of the age to have seen ships constructed the old fashioned way. Not all that long ago, shipyards still built ships from the bottom up.  The shipyard first fabricated the double bottom sub-assemblies and then started adding framing blocks and so forth. When the hull was fabricated, assemblies welded and painted, they launched the ship down the ways into the water with a satisfying splash, using technology that had been first developed by the ancient Egyptians.

A recent article reminded me of how much things have changed. Ships are now built in large sub-assemblies, welded into blocks, and then the blocks are welded together in drydock.  In the case of the new British aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, the construction blocks will be fabricated at seven different shipyards. Recently the “lower block three” of HMS Queen Elizabeth, 8,000 tonnes of steel, piping, cable and other outfitting was towed from BAE Systems shipyard on the Clyde in Govan in Glasgow, on its way Rosyth on the Forth, 600 miles away, for final block integration and assembly.

The new British carriers will each cost a budget-busting £2.6bn (US$4.3 billion.)  That is still less than half the cost of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the new US carrier under construction, which is estimated to cost US$ 9 billion or US$14 billion if research and development costs are included.

Assembly to Begin on Britain’s Biggest Warship

The mid-section of hull, known as “lower block 03”, is the first part of the £2.6bn HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier to go into the dry dock. 

It took two years to build and is being moved by sea from a shipyard in Govan in Glasgow to Rosyth on the Forth, where the carrier is due to be pieced together on 21 August.

Minister for International Security Strategy, Gerald Howarth, said: “This marks an important milestone – the start of the assembly phase of the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier.

“It is clear evidence that the UK shipbuilding industry has the expertise and experience to deliver a project of this size and complexity, delivering our next generation of Carrier Strike capability,” Mr Howarth continued.

To mark the completion of the construction, more than 50 cyclists left Govan on a 500-mile charity bike ride aiming to “beat the block” to its final destination.

Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing the news along.