Britain is set to have two aircraft carriers available for operations simultaneously for the first time in a while, after HMS Queen Elizabeth completed a major maintenance period at Babcock’s Rosyth dockyard this week, and HMS Prince of Wales is due to sail from Portsmouth this evening for the first time since returning from her eight-month Indo-Pacific deployment.
HMS Queen Elizabeth’s return to operational readiness follows a protracted period out of service after a propeller shaft coupling defect was identified in early 2024, with her docking and certification period at Rosyth running several months behind schedule before completing this week.
The programme involved thousands of hours of engineering work covering propulsion, stabilisation and wider repair and renewal activity, and represents the fourth successful dry docking of a Queen Elizabeth-class carrier at Rosyth in seven years.
HMS Prince of Wales is due to sail from Portsmouth this evening to begin preparations for Operation Firecrest, in which she will lead the UK Carrier Strike Group across the North Atlantic and High North later this year, operating alongside US, Canadian and Joint Expeditionary Force nations as part of NATO’s Arctic Sentry mission. The deployment is a response to a 30 per cent increase in Russian naval vessels sighted in UK waters over the past two years, with the strike group tasked with protecting critical undersea infrastructure.
Prince of Wales had previously been placed on five days’ notice to sail in March amid the Middle East crisis, though no deployment decision was ultimately made, and her sailing this evening marks the beginning of a period of North Atlantic operations following her return from Operation Highmast, the Indo-Pacific carrier strike group deployment she led through 2025.
The last time both HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales were at sea simultaneously was in November 2024, when HMS Queen Elizabeth departed Portsmouth on 4 November for further operational training following a brief turnaround, joining HMS Prince of Wales which had also recently set sail after returning from Exercise Strike Warrior.
The Queen Elizabeth class
The Queen Elizabeth class comprises two ships, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, each displacing around 65,000 tonnes at full load and measuring 280 metres in length, making them the largest warships ever built for the Royal Navy.
Both ships are powered by a combined diesel-electric and gas turbine propulsion system driving two shaft lines, with an integrated full electric propulsion arrangement giving a top speed in excess of 25 knots and a range of approximately 10,000 nautical miles. Each carrier has a flight deck of around 70,000 square feet and is capable of embarking up to 36 aircraft, including a range of rotary wing assets, with a ship’s company of around 700 rising to over 1,600 when the air wing and associated personnel are embarked.
The class operates the short take-off and vertical landing variant of the F-35, using a ski-jump ramp at the forward end of the flight deck rather than catapults and arresting gear, a configuration that simplifies the ship’s systems and reduces through-life costs but limits the types of fixed-wing aircraft that can operate from the deck.
Both ships were built under a collaborative arrangement involving BAE Systems, Babcock and Thales, with construction taking place across six UK shipyards before the sections were assembled at Rosyth, where both vessels were floated out and fitted out before entering service, HMS Queen Elizabeth in 2017 and HMS Prince of Wales in 2019.
Lisa, this isn’t giving the perpetual pessimists anything to moan about 😉
Well we could ask how many F35B will be on board either of them…..?
Exactly
or we could ask if the RN is capable of cobbling together 3 or 4 escorts for these capital ships
At this moment only one can really be called an aircraft carrier since we only have enough F 35s to fully fit out one carrier at a time
The other is just a glorified helicopter carrier unless the US marine corp is willing to lend some of their F 35s again
What a stupid thing to say. They are the same class of vessel, of course they are both aircraft carriers, quantity of jets to go on them has no baring on each. You could just as well spread your available F35 on both. Give your head a wobble.
🥱
Not a counter argument.
What’s an aircraft carrier without aircraft? A ginormous target. For the F-35, factoring in availability rates, how many are ready to go? Maybe 36-38?
Its an aircraft carrier without aircraft mate. They don’t deploy without aircraft, they do only do sea trials and some work up without them.
That’s bait, but whether or not it’s an aircraft carrier isn’t dependent on whether it’s carrying aircraft. Also, helicopters are aircraft too if you want to get pedantic.
Yes of course but they are always classed separately.
And having a carrier without jets is not much of a carrier now is it?
I forgive you on your pedantic response 🙂
There’s a can of worms to be opened there.
Is a Lancaster still a bomber if it isn’t carrying any bombs? Is a missile silo still a silo if it isn’t loaded?
Do you the same about the American Carriers that don’t have aircraft out of interest?
Ah, an interesting philosophical position.
If a jet from the aircraft carrier had to divert to the helicopter carrier would we then have two aircraft carriers?
Clunker, our carriers have 4 roles that I am aware of : Carrier Strike; C2; Amphib support; and HADR.
It would be rare for both carriers to be required for and configured for carrier strike. Besides, the planning assumption always was for only one carrier to be at sea at a given tme.
Should have had Cats & Traps and angled decks and Nuclear Engines and Sea Typhoons and Sea Ceptor and 40mm Bofors and Single Tower and Crazy Golf coarse.
“Single tower” and “Crazy Golf coarse” – been day time drinking again?
The channel will be closed from 18:15 to 19:30 if anyone wants to watch PWLS leave on a webcam, though the actual movement is going to begin at 18:30 according to the KHM website.
Hmmm … while 65,000 tonnes is frequently listed as full load displacement, other articles state values of up to approximately 80,600 tonnes. Simple reporting error, or demonstrated growth? An additional potential of 15,600 tonnes represents a significant delta in terms of stores (e.g., munitions, etc.). Potential adversaries could significantly underestimate sustainable capability. 🤔😉👍
Hi F/USAF, it’s a distinct rarity to hear any American making even one positive comment about our carriers!
“Potential adversaries could significantly underestimate sustainable capability”
That’s a problem??
I got negative comments when I stated 2 of the type 26 for Norway would come out of our planned 8. Just happened. No confirmation of no 9 &10. Next I predict mothball /sell a carrier. Reeves want 10 billion cut. Its that or end Gcap and the diplomatic problems with Japan and Italy. Hard not to be a pessimist, with the loons currently in charge
Well we will need both carriers to send to the Falklands in a few years given the recent US review to punish us for not be a lackey. Wishing us good fortune in the wars to come.