'cnVRG' program kicks off with a tour of the Osborne Naval Shipyard

Shipbuilding has changed significantly over the past 70 years. Gone are the days of intense labour under the sun, inefficient manual processes and paper designs. 

Digital innovations and manufacturing advancements have revolutionised shipbuilding, and nowhere is this more apparent than at the Osborne Naval Shipyard, where the Hunter class frigates are being built.

Paul is a Weapons System, Team Lead Technician, specialising in the Mk 45 gun that has been a critical part of the Hobart class and Anzac class ship capability for more than 28 years.

Shipbuilding is no longer a dirty trade, with workers in dirty overalls on a production line performing the same tasks day in, day out.

Imagine a warship the length of three Olympic-size swimming pools.

My pre-university year was spent in Portsmouth as a UK Ministry of Defence-sponsored student engineer, where a highlight was assisting ultrasonic testing of HMS Victory’s oak beams. Little did I know that 30 years later I would be ‘living the dream’ working in Portsmith, Cairns, in beautiful Far North Queensland.

Hunter is one of the world’s most advanced anti-submarine warfare frigates in the world, and the complexity of the design cannot be overstated – this is a ship that is right at the cutting-edge of modern warship technology and capability.

No one wants to go to war. However, if we do, we need to be prepared.

New advanced digital technologies and manufacturing methods are improving our shipbuilding processes, but it’s not just the design and production processes that are rapidly evolving – so, too, is our approach to building the workforce and workforce environment responsible for delivery.