Babcock celebrates UK engineering excellence on-board HMS Prince of Wales

Above: HMS Prince of Wales visits Liverpool for the first time.
Courtesy Babcock

As partners of the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, Babcock's operations throughout the UK made a significant contribution to the design and build of the aircraft carriers with its Rosyth facility the location for the final assembly of the Nation’s flagships.

Currently docked in Liverpool, school children and guests have been invited on-board HMS Prince of Wales to enjoy a series of showcase activities with a STEM theme and meet many of the partners and companies in the supply chain who have been involved with the programme.

The Royal Navy and industry are encouraging engineers of the future, including apprentices and graduates, to be part of the next era of engineering to surpass the achievements of the carrier programme. Their efforts will help to ensure the UK stays safe and present on the global stage with the event on HMS Prince of Wales the perfect stage to encourage an interest STEM based careers.

John Howie, Chief Executive of Babcock’s Marine Sector said: “Today we are recognising and celebrating the collective capabilities of the people across the UK that designed and built these magnificent ships, which are at the heart of Royal Navy fleet.

“Another important part of the day, that we are really looking forward to, is the opportunity to engage and enthuse the next generation of budding engineers as they undertake Science, Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) challenges on the ship.

“Innovation and technology have been central throughout the carrier programme. With that in mind, today we have our ‘igloo’ on-board, an immersive theatre experience, which provides guests with the opportunity to visualise and experience our iSupport360 programme – a predictive approach to the maintenance of operational platforms and systems, giving an exciting glimpse into the future of engineering support.

“We are delighted to be here today taking part.”

HMS Prince of Wales is one of the most powerful surface warships ever constructed in the UK. Along with her sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth, they are the largest ships ever built for the Royal Navy.

Captain John Bonnar, the Royal Navy’s Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff for Engineering Support, organised the event. He said: “The construction of HMS Prince of Wales and her sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth was one of the most impressive engineering endeavours the Royal Navy has ever seen.

“Thousands of engineers from across the country were involved in building them, and HMS Prince of Wales’ visit to Liverpool was a great opportunity to recognise their efforts.

“We were thrilled to invite so many young engineers of the future on board the ship to meet with the UK’s best and brightest who helped build these carriers.

“As the Royal Navy moves towards putting carrier strike operations at the heart of what we do, these engineers will see the results of their hard work helping keep Britain safe for years to come.”