The hall allows consolidated ship blocks to undergo shot blasting and painting, replacing work previously carried out on individual units. The Royal Navy said the change improves efficiency and reduces disruption to other construction work.
Processing larger blocks makes more efficient use of containment and extraction equipment during shot blasting. The dedicated facility also improves hull painting and reduces the transport of individual units around the site.
Sheffield’s aft block was moved from the Govan Shipbuild Outfit Hall into the new facility, which was handed over to BAE Systems earlier this month. The section will house machinery central to the fifth Type 26 frigate.
The paint hall forms part of a multimillion-pound upgrade at Govan, informed by lessons from building the first three ships in the class. The investment is intended to improve construction of the five Batch 2 frigates that will complete the Royal Navy’s Type 26 fleet.
Work on HMS Belfast, HMS Birmingham and HMS Sheffield is underway at Govan. The first two ships, HMS Glasgow and HMS Cardiff, are being completed at BAE Systems’ Scotstoun facility on the opposite bank of the Clyde.
The Govan upgrades also include the Janet Harvey Hall, which can accommodate two 8,000-tonne frigates under construction side by side. The enclosed hall protects ships and workers from the weather.
