Warship Construction Delay Beneficial Says Australia's Defence
Australia is constructing three Air Warfare Destroyers (AWD) & Defence Ministry has been advised it best to allow more time between each keel-laying. Minister for Defence Stephen Smith, Minister for Finance and Deregulation Senator Penny Wong and Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare attended the laying of the keel of the first Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) in Adelaide and provided an update on the $8 billion project. ASC in Adelaide is the principal shipbuilder in the project. BAE Systems in Melbourne, Forgacs in Newcastle and Navantia in Spain are also building modular blocks which will be brought together by ASC at the South Australian Government’s Common User Facility in Adelaide where the ships are being assembled.
Austal Lays Keel for Cape Class Patrol Boat
Demonstrating the rapid progress of the Cape Class Patrol Boat Program, Austal hosted a keel-laying ceremony for the first of eight high performance patrol boats it is building for the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service. Keel-laying traditionally marks the first significant milestone in a ship’s construction. Historically this was the “laying down” of the main timber making up the backbone of a vessel. Austal’s advanced shipbuilding techniques means fabrication of ship modules begins well before they are actually joined. So today Austal celebrates keel-laying when modules are brought together for final assembly. Although Austal’s design and manufacturing approach is thoroughly modern, the ceremony retained long held shipbuilding traditions.
