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Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd

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Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering, Ltd (VSEL) was a shipbuilding company based at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria in northwest England that builds warships and armaments. Since 2003 it has been known as BAE Systems Submarines. The company was historically the Naval Construction Works of Vickers-Armstrong and has a proud heritage of building large naval warships and armaments.

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[edit] History

Map sources for VSEL at grid reference SD198690

In 1897, Vickers & Sons bought the Barrow Shipbuilding Company and it's Maxim Nordenfelt Guns and Ammunition Company, becoming Vickers, Sons and Maxim Limited. The shipyard at Barrow became the Naval Construction Yard. In 1911 the company was renamed Vickers Limited and became Vickers Armstrong Limited in 1927 after a merger with Armstrong Whitworth. The latter's shipyard at High Walker on the River Tyne became the "Naval Yard".

In 1955 the name of the shipbuilding division changed to Vickers Armstrongs Shipbuilders and changed again in 1968 to Vickers Limited Shipbuilding Group. The Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act 1977 saw nationalisatiom into British Shipbuilders. Vickers was the first shipyard of this group to return to the private sector, occurring in 1986 as Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering, Limited - VSEL. At the same time it acquired Cammell Laird, although the latter closed in 1993.

In 1994 VSEL was subject to two takeover proposals, one from GEC and another from British Aerospace (BAe). VSEL was willing to participate in a merger with a larger company to reduce its exposure to cycles in warship production, particularly following the "Options for Change" defence review following the end of the Cold War. Both bids were referred to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission (MMC) which issued its conclusions and advice to government in May 1995. BAe's bid was approved, while the MMC concluded (with 2 of 22 members dissenting) that GEC's bid was likely to "operate against the public interest". However it was GEC's bid that was approved and accepted by VSEL. In many ways it was British Aerospace who was the most likely partner, with extensive capabilities in naval systems (see BAeSEMA), but no shipbuilding capabilities of its own. GEC already owned Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd as well the naval systems businesses of Plessey and Ferranti.

Following GEC's purchase VSEL became Marconi Marine (VSEL), part of the company's GEC-Marconi division. With the merger of British Aerospace and GEC's defence business - Marconi Electronic Systems - VSEL passed to the resulting company, BAE Systems as part of BAE Systems Marine. Since 2003 it has been an independent division known as BAE Systems Submarines after BAE systems split its ship and submarine building operations.

Image:British Shipbuilders evolution.png
The evolution of British Shipbuilders, 1960 - present


[edit] Ships built by VSEL

See also: Category:Barrow built ships
Vanguard-class of four Trident ballistic missile submarines
Trafalgar-class of seven nuclear attack submarines
HMS Manchester, one of three Type 42 destroyers built by VSEL.
HMCS Chicoutimi, Victoria-class attack submarine
HMS Invincible

[edit] Submarines

[edit] Surface combatants

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