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Birdon hosted a keel laying ceremony to celebrate the official start of construction on the Young Endeavour II at the company’s Port Macquarie shipyard, with the vessel scheduled to replace the brigantine Sail Training Ship Young Endeavour.
Birdon was awarded the contract for the design and construction of the ship in 2022.
Australia was gifted the STS Young Endeavour during the nation’s bicentenary in 1988 and has since been used by the Young Endeavour Youth Scheme to support youth leadership and sailing training.
The new ship, developed by Birdon and Dykstra Naval Architects, will include larger dimensions and up-to-date features to support participants.
Over 80 guests, including government and industry representatives, attended the ceremony, together with Commodore Ashley Papp, CSC, who, on behalf of the Chief of Navy, laid a coin on the keel for good fortune during the construction and for those future sailors onboard.
CDRE Papp also explained the motto “Service before Self” on the coin.
“These three words epitomise what we in the Navy look to. That is, each of us through our knowledge, skill, and experience can contribute to the efforts of the whole organisation,” CDRE Papp said.
The ceremony was an important milestone for Birdon, Joe Smith, Birdon’s general manager defence, said.
“The keel laying ceremony is a proud moment in the evolution of the project and is testament to the dedication of the hardworking teams at Birdon, our subcontractors, suppliers, and the Department of Defence.”
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