Captain Angus Essenhigh will command HMS Queen Elizabeth after taking over from Commodore Steve Moorhouse.
According to the Royal Navy here, the experienced Capt Essenhigh, who joined the Royal Navy in 1992, steps into the breach following Cdre Moorhouse’s promotion to commander of the UK’s carrier strike group.
“Capt Essenhigh, who is the fourth commanding officer of the aircraft carrier, has previously been in command of HMS Daring and HMS Protector. During his spell in charge of Daring, he provided humanitarian assistance to the Philippines following the devastation of Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. He was eventually awarded an OBE for that work. While on Protector, Capt Essenhigh, who was made a captain in 2016, led the ice patrol ship on two lengthy missions to Antarctica.
He also has experience in counter-mines operations, having been in command of a Mine Countermeasures crew on three different ships, including seven months with HMS Pembroke in the Gulf. On top of this work, he has previously served in frigates and as the Navigating Officer of a destroyer during an exchange with the US Navy. He has also commanded two P2000 patrol ships and has served on HMS Kent and had an earlier spell on Daring as an Air Warfare Officer, contributing to the first of class sea trials programme.”
Captain Angus Essenhigh said:
“I join at an exciting time for the ship following a very successful operational test deployment with UK F-35s off the east coast of the USA last year, and as she continues her development towards the first operational deployment in 2021.”
After extensive trials with the UK’s F-35 Lightning jets at the end of last year, HMS Queen Elizabeth is now preparing for more sea trials before operational deployments in 2021.
Let’s hope this isn’t another Type 45 problem?
“Sailors are forced to abandon UK’s newest aircraft carrier after power cut causes blackout on board”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7888367/Sailors-forced-abandon-UKs-newest-aircraft-carrier-power-cut-causes-blackout-board.html
Its the Daily Mail, it was probably lights out for the night and morphed into that story.
Funny how some websites are closing their links?
“POWER was lost on Britain’s newest £3.1bn aircraft carrier after the warship suffered problems with a high-voltage electricity cable that keeps her ‘juiced up’ while in port. Lights and heating shut off on HMS Prince of Wales yesterday following the incident at Portsmouth Naval Base.”
https://www.google.com/search?biw=1289&bih=553&ei=LAcfXqe5GPGx8gK9r6y4DQ&q=aircraft+carrier+prince+of+wales+electrical+fault&oq=aircraft+carrier+prince+of+wales+electrical+fault&gs_l=psy-ab.3..33i160.23582.31614..32032…0.2..0.114.1568.17j1……0….1..gws-wiz…….0i71j0i22i30j0j0i333j33i21j33i22i29i30.EILlz2C9Azk&ved=0ahUKEwin_9SZz4XnAhXxmFwKHb0XC9c4ChDh1QMICw&uact=5
Its nothing to do with the ship according to the 2 versions of this I read. It’s a fault with the supply cables from the shore power
I hope that’s all it was LongTime, the last thing we need right now are more technical problems!
There is no such thing as bad publicity. A few more people might have discovered we have a couple of carriers!!
My guess is that with all the actual activity on QE the two carriers have blown the fuse or something.
I expect that the Honda 2KVA generator the MOD acquired for them wasn’t (surprisingly) up to the job 🙂
I popped down to see them on Christmas day. QEC was clearly running on generators for some reason or other. Exhaust smoke emerging from the forward stack and from Gosport it was quite noisy. Love to hear it with all power generation running. Have they been able to connect both simultaneously to the ‘mains’?
(My family live down near there, so it was an opportune time to see them together, the carriers that is)
Yeh, we visited them between Christmas and New Year. Lots of generator noise and obviously lots of stuff going on. Impressive ships. We’ll see how things develop now that we have some indication of when the T45’s are going to be sorted as well, there is at least a timetable for the floating part of the capability. Just need to see a few more F35b’s being ordered or at least some indication of future expansion of the force…
Is it normal for a ship to have had three captains before it has even been on its first operational deployment?
As a non-matelot, can anyone explain to me why HMSQNLZ has had four Captains in six years? Just wondering…
BTW, I did very much enjoy the series on TV and found Jerry Kydd to be a most engaging and informative officer. Made Vice-Admiral now! Good for him.
Yeah, more Captains than bloody aircraft…at least the MOD can supply something!
The ship should still be on its second CO, but Capt Cooke Priest rather blotted his copy book and left in a hurry last May. Moorhouse was Capt of P. O. W and got a pier head jump to take on QE for last years trials. I suspect that Essenhigh will be in post for two years at least.
Thanks, Nick…
It’s a ploy to get more recruits onboard.
The other three have been demoted and are cleaning the heads on our Type 23’s!
Crabfat. Further to my post of five days ago, there is a very good article about all the Captains of the QE so far with a short biog of each one, it has just been published on the Save the Royal Navy website. A good five minute read. Nick
Thanks VM Nick – a good read and puts a bit more flesh on your previous excellent explanation. Arguably, some would say Cooke-Priest was treated badly. But then again, no more so than an Able Seaman would have been, for a lesser offence. However, there was a good point made, comparing his pay and package with a civvy and his misdemeanour being rather trivial, in comparison. And the Navy lost another very capable officer. BTW, when I had a company car my wife was allowed to drive it! Best wishes… Crabfat