BAE Systems Opens £300m Glasgow Shipbuilding Hall for Royal Navy Frigates

BAE Systems has officially opened the Janet Harvey Hall, a new £300 million shipbuilding facility in Govan, Glasgow, named in honor of Janet Harvey, a pioneering female electrician who worked in the Clyde shipyards during World War II. The hall, measuring 170 meters long and 80 meters wide, is equipped with two 100-tonne cranes and two 20-tonne cranes and can accommodate the simultaneous construction of two Type 26 frigates, with HMS Belfast and HMS Birmingham currently under construction there. This new facility allows warships to be built fully undercover for the first time in Glasgow, protecting work from adverse weather and improving schedule performance by reducing delivery times. Designed to support up to 500 workers per shift, the hall marks a significant modernization and digitalization of BAE Systems’ shipbuilding capacity on the Clyde, which is crucial for delivering eight Type 26 frigates to the Royal Navy. The opening ceremony was attended by Janet Harvey's nieces and the Lord Provost of Glasgow, symbolizing the connection between past contributions of women in wartime shipbuilding and the future workforce. BAE Systems emphasized that the hall stands as a beacon for future generations of shipbuilders and celebrates the often-overlooked achievements of women in industrial roles.