Basingstoke news and sport from the Basingstoke Gazette

The warship shape of things to come

From the archive, first published Wednesday 29th Sep 1999.

A REVOLUTIONARY warship that could change the face of the world's naval fighting forces was "topped out'' at Southampton's Vosper Thornycroft yard in Woolston yesterday.

Watched by representatives from Hampshire businesses and commerce, the ceremony was an important milestone in the building of the revolutionary, experimental trimaran warship RV Triton, due to be launched next May.

The event was also used as a backdrop to promote the £4.5million Rose Road Children's Appeal for a new Southampton centre to help some of Hampshire most profoundly disabled youngsters.

To celebrate the topping out, Martin Jay, Vosper Thornycroft's chief executive, handed a cheque for £10,000 to the appeal on behalf of the Southampton company.

In return, VT received the first medal in a new fundraising scheme where businesses and individuals can donate £10,000, £5,000 and £1,000 to the charity and be given a gold, silver and bronze medallion in return.

"Influential fathering such as this is an ideal opportunity to update supporters on the progress of the fundraising in the hope that more backing will be forthcoming for this most worthwhile cause,'' said Mr Jay, who is also chairman of the appeal.

Hailed as one of the most dramatic changes in warship design for generations, work on the vessel, now just known by the yard number 4292, began in January. The topping-out ceremony for the first of three construction mega-blocks, each weighing around 250 tonnes, was performed by Lady Chisholm, wife of the government's Defence Evaluation and Research Agency's chief executive, Sir John Chisholm.

Worldwide attention is already being focused on the vessel, which has been described by the DERA as the most significant design shape in warship hulls since the advent of the Ironclads.'

The £13 million RV Triton will embark on a rigorous 18-month-long programme of sea trials from autumn 2000 to see if the design is suitable to replace the Royal Navy's current Type 22/23 frigates. VT shipbuilding director Bob Mulligan said: "This will be the world's biggest ocean-going trimaran.

"The experience we are gaining from this project puts us in the forefront of trimaran construction and augurs well for the future if this technology becomes the way ahead for warships.

"We are breaking new ground in production techniques."

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.

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