Demonstrating a long-term commitment to its U.K. industrial base, Vosper Thornycroft is scheduled to start production next spring at a new, £40-million ($60-million) shipbuilding facility being created within the Portsmouth Naval Base. The technologically advanced, undercover yard will cut its teeth on the Royal Navy's Type 45 destroyer program, constructing pre-outfitted blocks of up to 700-ton steelweight for ship assembly elsewhere in the U.K. at yards controlled by BAE Systems. Described as a shipbuilding factory, in keeping with investments in state-of-the-art production machinery and a layout and logistic arrangements conducive to high productivity…