GIVE the South a fair share! That is the message going out to the government from Hampshire as the all-out campaign to save shipbuilding in the region begins today.

Links are being forged across the county as influential business executives, workers' families, politicians, city councils, trade union members, together with the Daily Echo, join together to ensure ship construction continues to drop anchor on the South Coast.

If orders are not forthcoming soon, then VT, as it is known today, could disappear and along with it thousands of jobs.

The Campaign for South Coast Shipbuilding (CSCS) is a close-knit alliance fighting for Hampshire to continue as a centre of excellence for marine industry and recognition that Southampton-based company Vosper Thornycroft (VT) is integral to its success.

For decades the industry has been central to the economy of the South Coast, with many communities relying on marine contracts. Lying at the very heart of this tradition is VT, with its yards in Southampton and Portchester.

Now all this could sink without trace and shipbuilding at VT is in danger of being consigned to the maritime history books unless urgent action is taken.

CSCS has been established to push the interests of competitive shipbuilding locally, and in particular to campaign for a fair share of the work on the Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer programme to be placed with VT.

Initially, the government said it wanted the construction of the first batch of three Type 45 destroyers to be shared between VT and BAE in order to maintain competition within the industry.

So there was shock and disappointment when just before Christmas VT received a crushing body blow - which led to establishing the campaign - in a written parliamentary answer from Tony Blair.

The Prime Minister announced the government was to place the Type 45 demonstration and first-of-class manufacturer contract (DFM) with BAE Systems without any associated agreements with VT.

Only a few weeks previously, government ministers claimed that a signature on the DFM was dependent on such agreements.

Under the present circumstances it will be September this year at the earliest before BAE Systems, the prime contractor, places these shipbuilding sub-contracts, which means there is no clear statement on the work which VT expects to undertake, nor on the timing.

Then, in a separate move, BAE Systems Marine, the defence giant's shipyard subsidiary, made an unsolicited proposal to build all the vessels in Scotland, an approach the government said it was considering.

Faced with no firm orders and looming concerns over the Type 45, VT was forced to issue redundancy notices which could eventually see the axing of up to 650 jobs at Woolston, of which more than 70 have already gone.

One glimmer of hope for the yard is an MoD order for three offshore patrol vessels which would replace the present aging Royal Navy fisheries protection craft.

VT, with its long-established record for building Royal Naval vessels, is a front-runner to win this contract, but it needs a speedy decision from Whitehall to maintain levels among the Woolston workforce.

The campaign has a five-point objective:

* To maintain VT's ability to design and build frontline Royal Navy warships.

* To ensure the government re-affirms its previously announced competitive strategy for the Type 45 destroyer.

* That VT secures preferred bidder status on the patrol vessel contract.

* Win high-level UK political support in helping VT clinch export prospects.