Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth is scheduled to leave Portsmouth today at 12:10 PM, following her return from repairs and upgrades earlier this year.
The carrier underwent critical repairs at Rosyth, where work was completed on her starboard propeller shaft coupling.
This repair work was necessary after a technical issue caused the vessel to withdraw from the NATO exercise Steadfast Defender, with HMS Prince of Wales stepping in to cover.
During her time in Rosyth, HMS Queen Elizabeth also received capability upgrades, originally scheduled for a later date. These upgrades, along with the repairs, were completed successfully, and the ship has since been preparing for her next phase of operations.
Today’s planned departure from Portsmouth is part of routine operations as HMS Queen Elizabeth continues her preparations. To accommodate the ship’s movement, the main channel will be temporarily closed to inbound and outbound traffic. The departure is supported by a series of scheduled shipping movements, including the involvement of various support vessels.
HMS Queen Elizabeth, one of the largest and most powerful warships ever built for the Royal Navy, displaces approximately 65,000 tonnes and measures 280 metres in length.
The carrier is capable of carrying up to 40 aircraft, including the advanced F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters and a variety of helicopters. Commissioned in December 2017, HMS Queen Elizabeth has already undertaken significant operational duties, including a global deployment in 2021.
We’ve asked the Ministry of Defence for more information, you’ll know when we do!
Will both carriers survive the latest SDR??
I think it is invevitable that at least one will go. Right now they are floating football fields. Not once have more than 8 British planes been on either as far as I recall. With Labour seemingly not committing to any more F-35, or at least scaling back they never will be fully operational, and thus a colossal waste of money and manpower.
Agreed its so annoying 😡
I’m hoping they’ll decide to place one in “storage” and rotate usage when the other one enter its deep maintenance cycle. It is important to maintain redundancy with these assets.
Sure there are associated costs to maintain in storage, but its affordable- no opex costs an off course no crews assigned.
Yes. I would be a false economy after spending so much to get both into service & be a signal to Putin & Xi that the UK is super soft on defence with little to back up out words.
Mind you, insanity seems to have driven HMG funding & cuts for so long….
I don’t think the Govt will look at it that way. They will look at it from the perspective of how much will they cost to run and maintain going forward. In addition the carriers are about projecting power and I am sure there will be a few whisper explaining how we don’t do that kind of thing any more as it is so yesterday and colonial.
So long as you’re happy to see Russia & China acting as neo colonial powers slowly subjecting the world to their dominion. Or extrteme Islam etc.
We are a permanent member of the UN security council & a global trading nation. If we become isolationalist only the bad guys will be happy. We are no longer colonial by a long way thankfully. But we have responsabilities to help keep the world safe & free. We’ve been skimping on our responsabilities way too long.
Prediction..1 aircraft carrier will be sold, type 32 cancelled, Army reduced by 10,000 and Tempest will be cancelled..
1 aircraft carrier sold to who?
It would make a pretty nice replacement for the LHAs in the US fleet. I’m pretty sure the USMC have repeatedly said they love flying from them. Do a swap for four Arleigh Burke Flight IIIs?
Or, as I have suggested before, designate one of the carriers for an LHA role using Chinooks for rapid insertion from distance. It could also be the reserve carrier. I expect the Albions will be fully retired, T32 will not proceed since finding 5 additional crews looks doubtful. I can’t foresee further cuts to the army which is still reorganizing to Future Soldier with new equipment in production and firm contracts in place. Tempest is a concern but the fact that it is now a tri- national effort might protect it. With 2 of the 3 contenders for the medium… Read more »
I think if Trump gets in he will pull the US out of Britain as an unreliable partner if that happened. The worst is they would be breaking treaties and promises to our allies. Labour are the Bain of Britain make no mistake. I’ll be off. I started work under liebore and dont want any more of them as a working pensioner. They are everything I stand against. I’ll still be voting against them whenever.
The US want us to take more responsibility so they won’t have it. If the proverbial does hit the fan they’ll expect us to be alongside. That option becomes increasingly unlikely if we get rid of 1. No other country has anything to put on it, or the funds for that matter, besides maybe Japan or Italy. Getting rid of one is frankly plain stupid.
I agree, but he did ask for a potential buyer and I just named the one that would get the most use out of it. Not that we shouldn’t cross decking with the US, Italy or Japan. The more people that can fly from her the more useful they become. It’s a shame the Australians haven’t got some to fly from their LHDs. AUKUS carrier group anyone?
The only potential customer are the US Marines and they won’t buy it because Congress won’t authorize it. Something that big is all about made in the USA and by the time they took all the “Brit” stuff out and put Yank stuff in they might as well built their own. Nobody else are stupid enough to make the same mistake we did and buy the VTOL. More expensive, less range and smaller payload.
How about China. Our new socialist masters are already in discussion with Mauritius about their claim for the Chagos Island group. Given that Mauritius has recently taken up belt and road deals with China the carrier could be based off Deigo Garcia, one of the islands involved. 😏
They’d probably sink it in shallow water and claim it as another island.
Spot on!
sadly true Frank 😉
👍🙂
Ah, Belt & road, or rather do what China wants or they withdraw funding & call our loans in. Slowly the world falls under the grip of CCP tyranny.
We’ve been popping our collective heads in the Chinese noose for years Frank. Never fails to amaze me.
The French could make an offer for a carrier but we are not doing mates rates. Sadly the army has to take the hit. We keep 2 carriers. If no tempest what future has the euro uk aero space?
Think the Indian government show some interest the other year, no doubt if one Carrier does go it Probably go nice and cheap 💰
I tend to agree with the sentiments made here pertaining to the reaction of the US if we were to axe one of the carriers. We have precious little to offer the US as it is and cutting a carrier would be frowned upon profusely. The US knows – as we do – the money is there; the HMG of the day simply chooses to spend it on social welfare programs etc., and not on defence. Tempest has also been mentioned on here too; if Labour decide to axe it, it will severely piss off the Japanese and Italians and… Read more »
Quite right Healy seems to have withdrawn well into the background after his grand election promises! Any country with so much as a fictional claim to our territory will try it on with this lot and in the name of peace and tranquillity they will roll over and probably give it to them!