Emotions will run high when one of the Royal Navy’s newest and most powerful ships HMS Dauntless makes a first visit to Great Yarmouth this weekend.
And there will be particular pride in the eyes of many skilled Norfolk technicians who will welcome the Type-45 Destroyer more as a friend than a stranger – as they helped provide vital components for the £1bn ship.
“Norfolk Capacitors Ltd has a significant connection in that the ship could not move without our products being installed and operating correctly,” said the Great Yarmouth company’s commercial manager Tony Daykin.
The destroyer is powered by two 20MW (26,800 bhp) electric motors, fed from high power inverters. Norfolk Capacitors was selected as the only British supplier of hundreds of power electronic capacitors for those inverters.
“We have been specialists in this important niche market for the past 25 years,” said Mr Daykin, who hopes to go aboard the Dauntless at some stage during its visit to Yarmouth, an affiliated port for the destroyer.
“Even if I don’t get to view the actual capacitors, it will be a proud moment to see the completed product of such a project,” he added.
Fellow Great Yarmouth company C-MAC MicroTechnology also played a key role.
Chris Andrews, product marketing manager, said: “We have a history of more than 65 years supplying microelectronic products for the defence industry.
“We are proud of the work the company has contributed to the Type 45 programme which includes a series of specialised electronic modules for precision motor control in key items of on-board equipment.”
There is a knock-on benefit for Hi-Rel Lids, of Harleston, who encase such electric circuits in highly protective metal covers and lids to withstand the challenging conditions at sea and retain reliability for at least 25 years.
“It’s a highly specialised business and, like all other Norfolk companies involved, we’re proud to be involved and look forward to seeing HMS Dauntless at our home port,” said general manager David Bailey.
Norfolk Capacitors, C-MAC and Hi-Rel are all members of ANGLE (East Anglia Electronics Liaison Group) established in the 1990s by TMS client Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s Economic Development Unit and working actively today as a loosely affiliated group of electronics companies undertaking joint training and promotional activities.
