[🇧🇩-Navy] BN Dockyard

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An informative video on BN Dockyard and its contribution to naval development in Bangladesh.

 

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BN Dockyard - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

BN Dockyard​

Bangladesh Navy (BN) Dockyard is only naval base of the Bangladesh Navy located in Patenga, Chattagram which provides technical support to Bangladesh Navy. BN Dockyard is solely responsible for keeping operational of Bangladesh Navy warships by providing continuous repair and maintenance support through its skilled manpower and different workshops.

History​

BN Dockyard has started its journey with a small base workshop and a slipway after liberation of Bangladesh. There were only four small workshops, namely platter shop, diesel engine workshop, machine shop, and Electrical workshop. First missile guided Frigate BNS UMAR FAROOQ joined BN fleet in 1977. Initially, frigates were sent to Singapore for docking, which involved huge amount of money. Gradually the necessity of owning a dock felt strongly. Consequently, Floating Dock SUNDARBAN purchased from Yugoslavia in 1980. Since then Repair facility has grown its manifold over the years.

Over the last four decades, the Bangladesh Navy is being transformed from a small navy into a three-dimensional brown water Navy by adding Naval Aviation and Submarine Arms including several modern ships having state of the art machinery, guns, sensors, and systems. Commodore Superintendent Dockyard is the premier organization that plays a key role in maintaining this growing navy by providing invaluable technical support.

Functions​

To ensure maximum operational availability of BN Fleet by repair and maintenance support and to contribute in technical advancement to keep pace with modernization of ships/crafts. Besides the operational roles of BN Dockyard is to provide repair and maintenance support for hull and misc fittings, mechanical machinery, and equipment, electrical and radio electrical machinery equipment and system, combat system, naval guns, small arms and web equipment, calibration of various equipment and gauges and docking naval ships. Additionally, it plays few special roles, like organizing and storing spare parts, materials for repair and maintenance, it also provides FW and electricity to BN ships, maintenance of pontoons and jetties for berthing, repair and maintenance of all workshop machinery as well as provide crane and utility vehicle support. BN Dockyard is the sole technical adviser to all the naval agencies of Bangladesh Navy.

Organization​

BN Dockyard got national standard from prime minister of Bangladesh in 2018. This org is headed by the Commodore Superintendent Dockyard or in short CSD rank of Commodore, who works directly under the Chief of Naval Staff (Bangladesh). The whole range of technical activities in BN Dockyard and the administration of industrial workers are directly controlled by the CSD, who executes it through four senior ranking Managers, namely General Manager Planning and Estimating GM (P&E), General Manager Production GM (Prod), General Manager Administration GM (Admin), General Manager Yard service GM (YS) and in addition Director Centre For Naval Research & Development and Director Identification of Friend & Foe Centre. CSD also exercises administrative control over BN Dockyard, other units like BNFD SUNDARBAN, and the Naval Armament Stores Depot through his respective Commanding Officers and Officer-In-charges.

Units​

BN Dockyard has 24 different workshops which are distributed under four sections, each headed by a Deputy General Manager namely

• Hull and Miscellaneous
• Mechanical
• Electrical
• Radio Electrical and Ordnance

 

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https://csd.navy.mil.bd/index.php

History​

After 1971 we inherited only a tiny base workshop which was located outside of the premises of BN Dockyard. The need for a strong repair facility was immediately felt with the gradual expansion of Bangladesh Navy particularly after BN had acquired ex-British frigates in 1976. When these frigates were sent to Singapore for repair and refit, it was found to be very expensive. Thereafter, the Nava Headquarters felt the necessity of a full fledged dockyard. The Expansion of yard repair facilities, then continued, at a steady pace.

Purchase of a floating dock in 1980 was a major milestone for BN Dockyard as it met the docking requirement of all major BN ships. Consequently in 01 March 1988 BN DOCKYARD was commissioned.

BN Dockyard has now come a long way to be able to support the growing BN fleet of about 172 ships varying of years of service and diversified equipment, machinery and weapons.

Vision & Mission
The Dockyard along with some other facilities have made up the organization of Commodore Superintendent Dockyard, in short CSD Organization, which is now one of the modest ship repair yards in Bangladesh. The mission of CSD Organization is to keep BN fleet operational by rendering repair and maintenance support. The Role of CSD can be divided into Operational, Support and Administrative part. The operational role ensures BN Fleet to Float, to Move and to Fight through providing repair and maintenance support. The Support Role includes Special Vehicles, Water and Power Supply to Ships, Jetty and Pontoon support, Sailors’ Barrack etc, and the Administrative Role includes Recruiting and Training of Dockyard personnel, Coordinate and implement Civil Works and Construction etc .

What we do
BN Dockyard is the major repair establishment to provide repair and maintenance support to ships of Bangladesh Navy. It is situated on the bank of river Karnaphuli. It has the capability to undertake all types of repair, refurbish and maintenance work related to BN ships and establishment with its own expertise and manpower.

History of ShipBuilding
Interestingly but unknown to many Bangladeshis, there was a glorious history of wooden shipbuilding in Chittagong (also known as ‘Shetgang’ in the early 4th Century BC, ‘Samunda’ in the 9th Century, and later during the 15th Century as ‘Porte Grande’) during the late 15th to the 17th centuries. This happened mainly due to the traditional boat building knowledge and the abundance of very fine quality hardwood like loha kath (Xylia Dolabiformis), segun (Tectona Grandis) and jarul kath (Lagerstromia Speciosa) suitable for shipbuilding in the nearby forested hills. Though the industry also developed near some large river ports of Bengal, Chittagong remained the most important location for building ocean-going vessels (most large seagoing vessels of that period were around 300-500 tonne by today’s measurements, a very few being around 800 tonne). Ships built at Chittagong were sturdier, more resistant to marine growth and fouling, and of better quality and longer life than those built anywhere including in Alexandria and places around the UK (where most of the then modern world’s ships used to be made). Even the mighty Ottoman Navy bought ships built at Chittagong because they were the best and also easily available. The Mughal naval fleet included a large number of ships built at Chittagong. The shipyards of Chittagong graduated to building up to 1,000 tonnes by the first part of the 19th Century. The mighty British Royal Navy also used ships built at Chittagong some such units participated in the great naval battle that took place at Trafalgar in 1805. In 1818 a ship ‘Fregatten Deutschland’ was built in Chittagong for the German Imperial Navy. The list of ships owned by the Calcutta port in 1924 included 11 English owned ships of which 08 were built at Chittagong.

The craftsmen engaged in shipbuilding at Chittagong were mostly illiterate. They acquired the art of shipbuilding as an inherited skill passed from master builders to apprentices, often from fathers to sons. In Chittagong, the low caste Hindus of Balami Para and some Muslims of Agrabad areas were engaged in shipbuilding. Chittagonian shipbuilding started waning towards last part of the 19th Century due to a complete lack of administrative patronisation from the British Raj (the British shipbuilders ultimately went for organised strikes when faced with stiff competition with the Chittagonian shipbuilding industry as the teak wood ships built in Bengal were cheaper, more durable, and also safer than those built in England) and the final death nails for this industry and craftsmanship were the advent of steam in steel hulls.

Outline of Today's Dockyard
Over the last 30 years of its history, the Dockyard has grown from a base workshop facilities to one of the modest ship repair yards in our country. Spreading over 47 acres of land, it has wide range of engineering facilities to meet maintenance need of ships and craft. The Dockyard has strength of over 1700 employees. In its 24 workshops, the Dockyard undertakes about 100 jobs on any single day. In average, Dockyard takes nearly 30 ships per year for docking and refit. All together, about 1.3-million man-hour labor worth of about 33.8 billion BDT is generated annually to accomplish the task.

Role of BN Dockyard
The prime role of BN Dockyard is to keep BN fleet operational by rendering repair and maintenance support. The overall functions include:
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• Designing and executing various naval projects, modifications, and up gradation works, installations of new equipment etc.​
• Major equipment and machinery repair including overhauling and testing.​
• Recruiting Dockyard Civilian Personnel and train them.​
• Development and repair of naval berthing facilities​
• Arranging water and electricity supply and accommodation facility to the ships and her crew.​
• Providing assistance to sister services, maritime agencies and other civil organisations.​

Organisation
The Organisation is headed by Commodore Superintendent Dockyard (CSD). He works under the direct administrative and technical control of Naval Headquarters. He runs his Organisation through four General Managers under him. General Manager (planning and Estimating) carryout the planning of all the works including costing of manpower and material. General Manager (Production) manages all the repair and maintenance including new projects and modification works. General Manager (Personnel and Administration) looks after the administration and welfare of the civilian workers and General Manager (Yard Service) provides yard and berth facilities to the ships and maintains yard machinery of BN Dockyard including Utility service. The other two units under CSD are the shore establishment BN Dockyard and the floating dock BNFD SUNDARBAN are commanded by respective Commanding Officers. The Naval Armament Supply Officer, in short NASO, looks after the Naval Armament Supply Depot.

Infrastructure and Workshop Facilities:

BN Dockyard has 24 workshops, dealing with maintenance and repair of equipment and systems fitted on board ships and to a limited extent similar items ashore:
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Mechanical Department​	Hull Department​	Electrical Department​	Ordnance Department​
Diesel Engine Shop.​ Machine Shop.​ Fitting Shop.​ Motor Transport Workshop.​ Lagging Shop.​ Foundry Shop.​ Refigeration and AC Shop.​	Platter and Welding Shop.​ Carpentry and Boat Building Shop.​ Sail and Color Loft.​ Rigging Shop .​ Life Raft Servicing Center(LRSC).​ Paint Shop .​ Ship Fitting Shop .​ Boat Workshop .​ BN Slipway.​	Heavy Electrical Shop.​ Weapon Control, Gyro and Sonar Control shop.​ Calibration Centre .​ Radio and Radar Shop .​ Battery and Electroplating Shop.​	Gun Shop.​ Anti Submarine Weapons Shop.​

Training in BN DOCKYARD:​

• Training in General​
• Officers Training​
• Sailors Training​
• Courses for Foreign Nationals​