Report on a visit to the BAE SYSTEMS Govan Shipyard
By Geoff Waddington FIIMS, President This year, on Saturday 9th April, my
wife and I were invited to attend a Falklands War 40-year anniversary event at the BAE Systems Govan Shipyard in Glasgow. The day saw a gathering of members and families of the crew of the last HMS Glasgow, which was a Type 42 destroyer and the only surviving Type 42 of the original three. All three fought on the front line during the Falklands conflict, but HMS Sheffield and HMS Coventry were both tragically sunk with considerable loss of life.
On the 4th May 1982 HMS Sheffield
was hit by one of two Exocet missiles fired at the front line destroyer group. The other missile was distracted by chaff from HMS Glasgow and another missile hit HMS Sheffield amidships at the bulkhead
Image courtesy of BAE Systems
Apparently, the lining up process only took 90
minutes. Once the two halves were in position, she was covered in for the remainder of the construction to take place. So, until the wraps come off there is little to see from outside.
On the day we were permitted to have a limited walk through the ship from the forward access tower through to the aft access tower.
The Report • June 2022 • Issue 100 | 34
to deck join of the forward auxiliary machinery space forward engine room and main deck. This minimised the amount of initial damage, but the resultant fire swept through the ship and, having been abandoned by the survivors, she eventually sank.
On the 12th May HMS Glasgow was
attacked by three waves of aircraft. Three of the first wave were shot down but one of the second wave managed to penetrate Glasgow amidships with a 1,000 lb bomb which, having hit her on the starboard water line, passed through the engine room, installed systems, fuel tanks, oil tanks, HP air reservoirs, electrics and so on without exploding, or more amazingly, not causing an associated explosion and fire. The bomb then very kindly exited at the port water
line leaving Glasgow wounded but still capable of fighting on.
On the 25th May HMS Coventry was
attacked by aircraft and sustained damage from three 1,000 lb bombs, two of which exploded. She caught fire, capsized and sank within 20 minutes. Following repairs HMS Glasgow remained in service until 2005 and was scrapped in 2009.
HMS Glasgow was selected to be the name of the first Type 26 Global Combat ship to be built by BAE Systems. Also present on the day were members of the BAE Systems team involved in the design and build and members of the crew of the present ship. The vessel was built in two halves inside undercover facilities and in April last year the two halves were
taken outside and joined together.
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