Concerns about the RN's new Assault Ships

[SteveO]

Quotes from Richard Beedall's excellent website Navy Matters
http://navy-matters.beedall.com/index.html

Although the ships now finally proudly fly the white ensign, outstanding concerns remains their build quality. So much rework has been required, and so many defects were identified by crew members during acceptance testing and contractor trials, that wags refer to them as "the ships that were built twice".

While the shipyard had most of the necessary facilities, its staff was largely unprepared for the challenges of building modern warships. The construction work was allegedly very disorganised because the management at Barrow simply did not have the necessary project skills and experience, and the workforce was also inadequately skilled and unmotivated – the later not helped by the knowledge that many of them were likely to be made redundant when the ships completed. The ships were finally delivered about 19 months later than planned, and costs had ballooned to about £790 million (excluding a loss made by BAE Systems).

THIS IS WHY YOU NEED SUSTAINED MILITARY MANUFACTURING CAPABILITY!