HMS Prince of Wales to replace HMS Queen Elizabeth in NATO exercise due to technical issue.

HMS Prince of Wales is scheduled to set sail from Portsmouth on Sunday, stepping in for its sister ship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, which encountered a technical issue preventing its planned deployment.

The aircraft carrier is due to depart from Portsmouth Harbour at 12:15 pm, taking over responsibilities in a NATO exercise that involves more than 40 vessels.

The departure of HMS Prince of Wales follows a recent issue with HMS Queen Elizabeth, which was expected to leave Portsmouth Naval Base last Sunday to lead the largest NATO exercise since the Cold War. However, a problem with the starboard propeller coupling was discovered during final checks, leading to the cancellation of its deployment.

In response to the cancellation, the crew and base workers have prepared HMS Prince of Wales to take on the role originally assigned to HMS Queen Elizabeth in Exercise Steadfast Defender, taking place off Norway. As part of the preparations for its new assignment, scaffolding seen on the carrier’s flight deck has been removed and th pace of work to get the ship ready boosted massively.

HMS Prince of Wales is now ready to participate in the exercise, demonstrating the Royal Navy’s ability to adapt and maintain its operational commitments.

The exercise, named Steadfast Defender, is a NATO operation designed to test the alliance’s capabilities in a large-scale combat environment. HMS Prince of Wales will lead a carrier strike group as part of the exercise.

Equipped with F-35B Lightning stealth fighters, Merlin Mk2 helicopters, and Wildcat helicopters, the carrier strike group will engage in a series of exercises to enhance NATO’s maritime readiness and capabilities.

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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197 COMMENTS

    • Ha Ha. I’m guessing the number of British F35s is increasing slowly plus those pesky Amercians will probably be looking for a free ride as may a few other nations.

      • Andy they are being delivered to the agreed schedule MOD contracted for, and spookily the schedule it pays for. No more and no less ! It’s bang on schedule and we are actually over 75% through it, last one is due next year.

        You have repeatedly criticised the T26 delivery schedule but it’s the same thing “you get what you pay for, and after you pay for it”.

        As for the original investment it was a bloody bargain ! We invested
        USD$2.5 billion (£ 2 billion) or @10% of the development cost overall. We build over 15% by value of every single Aircraft built and over the length of the contract will make over £40 billion out of it.
        Thats 20 times our investment cost.

        • Has this schedule been adjusted for the TR-3 and Block 4 software improvements (delays) or are they compromised to keep to the schedule?

      • Michael. Andy, Aj, Nigel.
        So I now see. What a state of affairs. Some of us have been banging on about this for a long time now and it gives me no pleasure for the truth to start coming out. I would like to think that things will get better but I can’t see it.😠

        • No doubt you have seen many of my posts on here over the past eight years.

          EMALS, which was the reason for joining and posting as I was very sceptical about the F-35 programme as a whole placing all our eggs in one basket, and still are.

          FREMM Class Frigates, with a decent work share delivered sooner rather than later. At the time they were selling off the last two (2020)

          Initial planning assumptions for the Italian Navy are ten FREMM-IT (four ASW variants and six GP variants) at a cost of €5.9 billion. FREMM-IT will replace the Maestrale and Lupo-class frigates in service with the Italian Navy.

          South Korea, I think I’ve mentioned them enough recently, they have been very keen to do business with the UK for some time.

          Sadly for me, it’s too late in the day to change without incurring even more financial losses and delays, something we seem to excel at.

          Missile defence and long-range attack are the only things that really concern me right now given the current state the world is in.

          No doubt we will end up at the back of the queue for these if at all!

          • I do sympathise with yout thoughts on the F35, partly because of the timescale and partly by us choosing the B version.As you say though it’s far too late now so all we can do is hope that are political friends get the message.We can and should do something about escorts now. The opportunity is there. It needs to be taken.

          • We can but hope Geoff!

            Three former senior NORAD officials argue in this op-ed that the homeland defense must be treated like theatre defense, prepared for multi-tiered attack.

            https://

            breakingdefense.com/2024/02/the-homeland-is-not-a-sanctuary-the-case-for-more-integrated-air-defenses/?utm_campaign=Newsletters&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=293750623&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8FCijz_2UF1zhE6QJ0k_wacIJxyAWn0xFRn4Tb6A8gCtGXHZ-H6lQAxi1OxPgvnG6iI13vjc3bZ1xDFl2N37JE45lGTQ&utm_content=293750623&utm_source=hs_email

  3. To say that is a massive achievement is a huge understatement. POW is at 30 days notice to sail, and was undergoing a maintenance period. To get her ready that quickly is a testament to the crew, contractor’s and dockyard staff. The RN might not be the biggest Navy. But it’s still the best Navy. 🇬🇧

    • The Prop/Coupling issue on QE was first found on Jan 8th…. my guess is that POW was worked on as a precaution up until the date QE was to sail and then accelerated after that. Viewing all the activity on POW, certainly seemed to back that all up, I did believe yesterday that she might sail today or Monday as her deck was clean.
      Well done to everyone involved and lets hope she has a great trip…. It’ll be interesting to see her actually performing the job she was intended for rather than a continuation of trials.

    • Well said Robert! Besides, things could be far worse. Look at our New Zealand Navy- blink and you’ll miss it. I’m envious of how our Australian cousins are expanding their naval capabilities.

      • I actually think NZ is pretty good at getting value for money compared to others. HMNZS Aortearoa is very capable ship compared to many others, you spent very well.
        NZ has to decide if it joins RAN Hunter programme or not ? Personally I think that due to Labour costs that would be unaffordable and RAN are really packing kit in.
        But there are plenty of options that are more affordable. Daft as it may sound but if you want to keep the maximum commonality possible with the Hunters but need a cheaper option then…..
        The T26 would be a great fit and you already use CAMM.

        • Thanks ABC Rodney valid points. I think the Type 26 is likely to be unaffordable or us. I do see a type 31/32 frigate as a clear possibility to replace the 2 ANZAC frigates.

      • If you are talking about POW still in port. It possibly due to weather. People act shocked when something doesn’t go to plan or something breaks down. It’s happened for decades. The only difference is People now hear about it due to social media. The Invincible class had many break downs in port and at sea. And departure times changed. It’s nothing new. Why take unnecessary risk. Swapping vessels over for short notice deployments certainly never happened. Even with 3 vessels in the class.

  4. I believe they have found corrosion where corrosion should not be on the QE, so she is heading to Scotland and going into the dry dock.
    I hope they will pull her drive train and fully inspect it because this is getting a tad embarrassing.
    And please please get the message on defence spending .

      • There were a couple of posters over on Navy Lookout who claimed to have first hand knowledge, they described in detail what the problem was…. Both were soon deleted/censored.

    • Wonder whether she will be returned to fleet status as quickly as HMS PWLS? Understand that HMS QNLZ is already slated for initial refit later in 2024. Combine and accelerate schedule, or are timetables unchangeable? USN/USMC could well have an abiding interest in schedule, due to continuing requirement for multiple carriers in ME theater. 🤔

      • If it was any carrier going it would be Prince of wales after work up etc…I don’t think the U.S. have a carrier issue just yet but in six months time they will either be elongating a deployment or sucking a carrier away from the pacific..neither is great.

      • Would anticipate that EMALS mod will be delayed until at least the late 2020’s refit, unless HMG becomes sufficiently alarmed by current events to spend serious coin of the realm on rearmament. 🤔

        • Of late, two respected UK defence analysts have commented along lines that they were less sure the population needed to acknowledge increased threats, but more the politicians. That’s Professor Michael Clarke & Dr Chris Parry.

          • I think most of the population have got the postcard.

            As MSN have got the postcard…..

            Unfortunately we do need to spend to stop a potentially nasty war caused by alliance of the nasty wanting to upset the rules based order for their own ends.

          • Would likely have added the Times Radio links for authentication in the past, but that would only have condemned me to the security abyss. The Chris Parry comment was 4 days back

  7. I think we as a nation should be sending our best wishes to the ship’s crew, instead of making snide remarks about aircraft and fuel etc.
    Just because we are becoming overrun with certain types, should not stop us from still being a proud nation.

  10. More technical issues on the carriers? It is really depressing that compared with commercial ships these RN folk seem unable to properly maintain and operate the vessels they are given.

    • According to a former Admiral on GBN last week it’s cheap parts what are source out ,anything to save money .We’re in is day all parts were tried and tested to military standards .

      • Well if it’s on GBN news it must be true 😀

        When exactly was his day? HMS Invincible suffered a near complete break down of her propulsion system in 1982 on her way to the Falklands.

        Was that cheap parts?

          • Funny how we all complain about the state of the RN today. In 1982 we had 4 carriers. Bulwark had just been decommissioned, Hermes had just had a boiler fire, Invincible was up for sale and Illustrious was still being built.

            I think the QECs should have been designed with 4 props, not 2. Each one would be smaller with a bit less to go wrong and with maybe have some commonality with the Tides. Plus if one got a problem it would be less of a risk to still use the ship, especially as for the next 45 years we will only have 2 carriers.

          • Bulwark was a commando carrier at the end of her life?

            I agree QEC should really have had 4 props but if they had too much gold plating we would have had zero carriers. So we are better off with what we now have than nothing.

            I think the answer is a thorough review of the drive train and up speccing of critical components that don’t have large enough margins. Yes, it costs money but in a fight you can’t have propulsion failure.

          • Blake wasn’t a surface carrier but could carry 4 x Sea King (?)

            Her sister Tiger was also pulled out of mothballs and some work was done on both.

            But the war ended – they were not needed and would have been very hard to crew.

            I’ve no idea what the plan was with those hulls other than they were big and had 6” guns which would have been very useful for NGS.

          • Blake and Tiger would have been useful for many reasons, the very large hanger (making them miniature ASW carriers in their own right), the guns would have been useful too, but they would have been extremely vulnerable to air attack….

            More than a whiff of desperation and panic pulling them from reserve SB!

            Had the Cold War gone hot they would have been used as mini ASW Carriers, out in the North Atlantic, forming their own AS task groups and on Convoy escort protection.

          • ASW wasn’t the main thing once the war got going. It was more of an initial fear.

            The Russians had a, suspected at the time and subsequently declared, sub in theatre monitoring.

            They were so old by that stage they would have been of little use. As you say they had no modern AAW capabilities and would have been hopelessly vulnerable to air attack.

          • Bulwark was decommissioned well before the Falklands in 1982. Invincible and Hermes were operational. Illustrious was on fit out trials- effectively only two operational carriers

          • Indeed Bulwark was long retired.

            My earlier point was that she wasn’t configured for Harrier but for helicopters.

            So I’m not sure how useful she would have been?

          • Its an interesting point SB. I’m sure the extra capacity would have been useful to accommodate helos and the Royal Marines though.

          • If memory serves Bulwark was a no no as she had been stripped of parts for Hermes and also used by SF for practice. And she had grass growing on her decaying flight deck. The Rusty B.

        • Well let’s face it mate even with expensive parts things can go wrong, just like my Audi injection system 😕 haha although not laughing at the time just like MOD with QE .Just thought put post across. 👍

        • “Well if it’s on GBN news it must be true”

          You certainly get a much more balanced and unbiased option on GBN Jim.

          They have equal views from the Left and the Right. Most folks who believe the ‘ extreme right wing channel’ rubbish, haven’t actually watched it, they just swallow the lame stream propaganda.

          The BBC is is little more than a left wing think tank and mouth piece these days, led by it’s defacto ‘dear leader’, that champion of all things woke (who we are all contributing towards a vast salary too, to be force fed his opinions) Gary Lineker.

          It’s amazing to me how an old lefty blow hard who used to kick a bag of wind about for a living and now comments on others kicking a bag of wind is paid over a million per annum, by us!!!

          If we employ the idiot, can’t we sack him?

  12. Any chance of that missile defence shield I keep asking for and a few additional Typhoons please? Would I be pushing my luck if I asked for a large stock of Tomahawk, JSM/NSM, Meteor, ASRAAM, Aster 15/30, and Marte ER to serve as a useful deterrent?

    2025 should be a very interesting year.

    Donald Trump has said he would “encourage” Russia to attack any Nato member that fails to pay its bills as part of the Western military alliance.

    “At a rally on Saturday, he said he had once told a leader he would not protect a nation behind on its payments, and would “encourage” the aggressors to “do whatever the hell they want”.

    Members of Nato commit to defend any nation in the bloc that gets attacked.
    The White House called the comments “appalling and unhinged”.
    Addressing crowds during the rally in South Carolina, Mr Trump said he had made his comments about Russia during a meeting of leaders of Nato countries.

    He recalled that the leader of a “big country” had presented a hypothetical situation in which he was not meeting his financial obligations within Nato and had come under attack from Moscow.

    Mr Trump said the leader had asked if the US would come to his country’s aid in that scenario, which prompted him to issue a rebuke.
    “I said: ‘You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent?’… ‘No I would not protect you, in fact I would encourage them to do whatever they want. You gotta pay.'”

    A White House spokesman said the former president was “encouraging invasions of our closest allies by murderous regimes”, and labelled the comments “appalling and unhinged”.

    He added that the statement “endangers American national security, global stability and our economy at home”.

    Mr Trump, the favourite to run again as the Republican candidate in this year’s US presidential election, has long been critical of Nato and what he sees as an excessive financial burden on the United States to guarantee the defence of 30 other nations.

    Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, after Mr Trump left office. He has since bemoaned the amount of US money sent to Ukraine, which is not a Nato member.”

    @BBC NEWS

    • Take anything the national media says about Trump with a pinch of salt. Treaties exist for a reason, and the US can only opt out of Nato after due process. Nobody likes him because he will not comply with “norms”. It looks like he will be in post this time next year. IF it makes us and Europe wake up, spend more on defence? Then l for one look forward to another term for him.

        • So what? If a country chooses to “opt out” that is their business. This is reality. Europe as a whole has leached on the US since WW2. They need to wake up.

          • So what? I was giving 2 concrete examples where President Trump opted out of treaties, so it is feasible for him to wish to opt out of NATO (and do so) if he became President again.

            Your criticism of ‘Europe’ leads me to guess you are American?

            Worth re-stating that the only time ever since 1949 that article 5 was called it was because the USA had been attacked – all European NATO countries rallied around, plus several others. NATO works.

          • Thanks Christopher. When Trump made his comment he was totally right. Most European NATO nations were below 2% of GDP spend on defence. Some increased their defence spend, possibly as a consequence.
            More increased their spend due to the Russo-Ukraine war. Still, Europe pays far too little for its own defence. Europe should be able to defend the continent totally without American help, but many countries are wedded to social programmes in preference.

          • The USA’s criticism of Europe doesn’t include the UK. The UK’s relationship is special. Which enrages the continental Euro politicians further.

          • True but some US senior officers and their Secretary of the Navy have made pointed comments about the size of our army and navy.

      • Agreed if it makes Europe wake up ,it’s a good thing 👍however Trump been in the past friendly with Putin he may help Russia 🙄 invaded Ukraine 🤗

        • Globalisation is over, regardless of what the WEF and World Bank want people to believe. I find Trumps realism refreshing TBH. The “threat” from China is another pup we are being sold. Most geopolitical studies show the opposite, like the EU it is collapsing internally. The problem for me is western politicians and populations grew so used to “blocs”? They cannot think outside of their respective boxes.

        • Trump is dangerous in many different ways. I just pray he fails to get back into the White House.. Could he bad for Europe that’s for sure

          • Democratic European countries? Ukraine, coup d etat, poland gauliter installed, opposition mps arrested, press marginalized, their equivalent of BBC defunded, Hungary….vote how we tell you or we will crash your economy, Holland just voted for a nazi, Germany is heading to AFD, did you see their marches? The weren’t at Nuremberg…..but in all other aspects it seemed somehow familiar……, Trump, while an ass on many things, neither they or us have any obligation to carry on funding armies to fight an enemy that just cant get to the UK without going the the French nuclear deterrent. Not one penny for that collection of scum.

          • Still very much worth protecting what we have in our European Democratic countries. Not saying everything is perfect – political problems in different countries. Trump would make everything so much worse. When you talk about the Ukraine.. You are talking nonsense. Sorry mate.

          • Patriots uphold the Constitution of the United States.

            #45 is ineligible for public office having engaged in Insurrection or supporting the same.

            The District Court and Supreme Court of Colorado were unanimous that he’s an Insurrectionist. The 3 Disents were on procedure not the facts of the case.

            The investigation of Maine agreed.

            This matter is with the Supreme Court so they must demonstrate that they are patriots. Constitutional scholars and retired Judges say that they have no choice!

            The 11th Circuit Appeal panel found that he has no presidential immunity after some delay to make their judgement unanimous and water tight.

            The Supreme Court may decide not to review that since the alternative is Dictatorship.

            Some bravery required to remain free of the wannabe dictator and deluded fantasist…

      • He’s always looked totally unfit for public office to me, let alone POTUS. I wouldn’t buy a used car off him. Also a Putin fan boy at best & stupid enough to drag the US into a civil war or autorcracy.
        Though of course Euro-Nato needs to up its spending & take our own security seriously. HMG is always great on soundbiting that while cutting forces & capabilities, plus cooking the books to make our GDP defence spending appear rosier.
        We have all the resources we need to fuly support UKR & defend ourselves if Russia widens the war, if we wake up & if we start now.

        • Fully support more UK Defence spending, but not for armies to sit in Europe. Spend it on the navy and airforce, get what people we have left out of Europe and then they can have a European army, GB and Canada and the US can go home…….and stop paying

      • Let’s hop so.

        NATO would be better off urgently rebuilding military forces capable of deterring threats with or without US support
        Two-thirds of NATO’s 31 member states still have not increased the amount of national income dedicated to defence to a minimum of 2% (and experts deem that level to be woefully inadequate).

        “Mr Trump, who is the frontrunner to be the Republican candidate for president, said he responded by warning: “You didn’t pay. You’re delinquent. Yes, let’s say that happened. No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want.”

        If his remarks are to be taken at face value, then some comfort may be drawn from a quick glance at a map of Europe. It will show that the nations most vulnerable to any Russian invasion – the Baltic states and Poland – all comfortably pass the NATO spending test.

        Yet, comments made by Mr Trump when he was commander-in-chief repeatedly raised doubts as to whether he would go to war with Moscow whichever NATO ally is targeted.

        Britain should not rest easy.

        It just about meets the spending pledge – though official NATO data shows the percentage spent on defence has dropped rather than risen over the past nine years from 2.14% in 2014 to an estimated 2.07% in 2023 despite the escalating threats.”

        https://

        sky.com/story/nato-would-be-better-off-urgently-rebuilding-military-forces-capable-of-deterring-threats-with-or-without-us-support-13069871

    • What you or anyone in the UK thinks about Trump is totally irrelevant. Huff and puff all you want, it means nothing. That’s reality.

      • Hello Daniel,

        We have not exchanged comments here before. Please do not take anything personally.

        Whether Trump’s comments matter will depend on if the quarter of the USA that votes Republican is bigger than the quarter that votes Democrat (the system has a built in pro Republican bias so when he loses by 3.5million votes he ‘wins’. The Democrats have to win by 7m to squeak in).

        From outside, the question I always ask is why does half the population effectively vote ‘none of the above’.

        The USA does not subsidise Europe’s defence. European countries spend what they see fit to defend themselves. The USA spends what it feels it has too to be a world power and influence events in a way that profits it (or at least the companies that influence the government). As part of that it tells SU/Russia hands off the rest of Europe. That is the USA protecting itself from a rival growing too big to handle.

        In its entire 70yr+ history NATO has gone to war once. The USA evoked Article 5 after 9/11. Every country in NATO sent troops to Afghanistan. I believe every country took casualties. Three of your allies, two NATO (Denmark and UK), one not (Australia) took heavier casualties than the USA. Then Trump threw it all away.

        Now some here are surprised that only the UK, desperate since the own goal of Brexit, are willing to back you up in the Red Sea.

        • Fantasy, the US provides the teeth and the ability to command at scale, no country in Europe, with the possible exception of the uk ( on a tiny scale) even invests in this

      • Hear hear.

        The Tangerine Toddler is a world liability and the sooner he is confined to jail the better for everyone.

        He belongs in Fulton County Jail where he will be accountable for his actions and not above the law 🇺🇲

        His Dictator Dementia requires confinement for his safety. That’s appropriate care for the elderly and in the interests of national security.

    • Please see my reply to Daniel. I really hope for a good debate on this as I am bemused/shocked by Trump still being seen as a serious candidate.

      • It is a dismal choice and I sympathise. At the last election the choice here was Boris or Corbyn. Despite living in a Con/Lab marginal and being one of the 25% of the population who decides the election I gave my vote to the Lib Dems in despair.

        I think I would still blame Trump more than Biden for Afghanistan. He signed a very bad deal and Biden had to promise to honor it on the campaign trail. Re Ukraine I see Trump as a paid for Russian agent like Farage.

      • I find Chris’ posts extremely wise. Let me say one thing though, my sick leave is probably not paid by US investments in world dominance, rather by the fact that tax here in Europe is up to 40% even for not particularly rich people. Consider your tax rate, and round it up to 40% of your income with a private insurance, and likely life will be more comfortable.
        Anyway it is about world dominance, fueled by the companies that profit from it and lobby in Washington DC. If US turned isolationist, it would be bad for Europe in the short term having to build own proper defence, but it would be very bad for US in middle long term. Who knows, EU might find a way to make Google Amazon Apple pay their taxes properly in Ireland, for a starter. US might loose access to Rammstein and Sigonella bases, as well as Naples harbor, strongly limiting the power projection capabilities, and so on

    • Further #45 will shortly be out of business in NYC having lost his company licenses and $500,000,000 paid to the taxpayers that his crooked business persistently defrauded.

      He’s never been a really great businessman. He has lost half the fortune that his father left him.

      He’s a convicted rapist and defamer of his victim E.Jean Carroll whom he now owes $88,300,000 to. Plus legal fees.

      He has 91 indictments going to trial with co-defendants who have pled guilty to avoid jail time. His defence will fail due to the evidence.

      He has six bankruptcies to evade accountability and more than 3400 cases against him for failing to pay suppliers.

      He has zero credibility to berate anyone for not paying a debt. Especially one not due for a year.

      He’s just trying to get attention and distraction from his crimes.

      Only kaputin needs him as a friend.

    • With the exception of the UK, Canada and some nordic countries, NATO’s contribution was bare minimum. Ceremonial even.

      I remember when the Germans deployed, the German government refused their placement in any troubled areas of Afghanistan. Many of the provinces they were ‘occupying’ were of no trouble at all and well within the control of the local provincial governments. France, don’t even get me started.

  13. Does anyone know if POW will still be visiting Glen Mallan like Queen Elizabeth was meant to be last week? How long does it take her to sail from Portsmouth to the Clyde?

  14. Ir leaves me confused, why reject commonwealth candidates, the Ghurkas are brilliant. Conscription would not be so picky…..it. would be/difficult to avoid service, my memory se4ves me well.
    Ex. Cyprus and Egypt…paras. /

  15. Get yourselves on Youtube if you want to see her departing….. HMS Warrior Live Cam….. It goes through a ten minute cycle of different views but if you are lucky, you’ll catch her…… also take a look at the Solent cam as you should be able to spot her breaking down !!!…. lol sorry, I must stop being so negative….😂

    • 12:52 & she’s still there without a tug in sight. Often Warrior cam interupts the usual view changing cycle to give better coverage of QE CVAs arriving/departing.

      • Sadly, I was….. Will we get to know what happened this time ? …..
        I watched as the time came and there was Smoke just shortly before 12….. both funnels had smoke a while before on startup….. but this second amount of Smoke came from just the forward island…..not sure if relevant.
        Both Gangways were retracted too but shortly after, one was re attached.
        There was also another Deck Walk in the area of the newly coated section, shortly after the due departure time and I didn’t see any tugs either.
        I would hope that this latest set back would at least be noted and debated in Parliament, It’s a shocking state of affairs.

  16. Lucky we have 2, french CDG was always missing when needed and they struggled with reliability. 2 is the proven minimum and I hope the politicians are taking note

  17. Hi folks hope all is well.
    Great stuff and the best of British to all of her crew. Good to see as per usual the Brits keep it quiet on progress on the fast turnaround of getting her ready demonstrates we still have that can do when push comes to shove.
    Do we know how many F35s we deploying?
    Cheers
    George

  18. We should have built a third while all the expertise and facilities were in place and practised! ‘Peace Dividend’tax cuts ruled!

      • Send ’em to settle in China, Japan, Taiwan or South Korea. All of these states bemoan their falling birth rates and yet seem oblivious to taking their fair share of “refuges”- funny that

      • Why..so we can have have another carrier laid up with propellor issues…we can’t even afford to run two..maybe not even one properly so 3 would be an impossibility.

        • As it stands yes we can’t afford the manpower, aircraft, or the escorts. But that still doesn’t mean we really need 3. The alternative is to relinquish our global pacific imperialism and spend the money instead on the European or North Atlantic theatres. Build another with cats/traps makes sense and keep it in reserve as we do with Trident, so that one is always available.

        • Why? Rule of 3. Thought I said that.
          To be very sure of having one naval asset to be available for operations, you need 3.
          We used to have three carriers for this reason – the logic still stands. On a good day you might have 2 carriers that ae available – good – sometimes you might want 2 carriers at sea for operational redundancy (eg. Falklands Conflict).

          I do not advocate buying a third carrier without the funding to buy it or the crew to run it. Additional defence funding would be required for both aspects. Of course its not going to happen now. I know that. I am just saying we should have had 3 carriers in the first place – and resourced accordingly.

      • Just looking at webcam now mate, not a lot going on, cant see her leaving in the next hr or so without tugs etc. Gangway still on, no sign of deck activity. Who knows?

        • Both Gangways were withdrawn but the Aft one has been extended again……. Apparently one of the Tugs had a Prop Shaft Coupling issue……. 🙄…. I’m obviously just joking but just WTF……….. ?

          Someone Famous once said… “There seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today”

          Anyone know If HMS Hermes is still for sale ?

  20. Great turn around to get her ready for sea so quickly. Still had covers/tenting over flight deck parts with high temp treatments for F35 VTOL up to a few days ago.
    I hope she now has or will asap have the fully fitted(but still well inadequate IMO) defensive armament.

      • Which excuse.

        Is it laughable that our SSN, FF and DD platforms have been cut to the bone – that’s not right, broken in half? Still not there.

        Malleted to pieces on the anvil of carrier strike?
        F35B, we have to wait for another iteration of software; carriers are a tad troublesome mechanically…

        The UK needs defence but not this kind, heavens Kutsenov could at least put to sea, albeit with a tug.

        Which begs the questions, what will Labour do with these two dry dock Queens and how happy will we be if they are both binned in favour of SSN, FF, DD?

        • Mate…. How sad is it all at the moment…. despite our uber professional Forces and all their skills ? …… This is a staggering embarrassment…. yet again……

  26. The sailing of PoW on Sunday was cancelled for unstated reasons at a very late stage. Now maybe Monday, but not yet listed by KHM Portsmouth. PR disaster on PR disaster for the RN and its two “£3 billion” carriers.

  30. Hi folks,
    What a show. You couldn’t make it up! No doubt many of you have heard the latest on the news. Now HMSPOW is not going and has issues.
    What on earth is going on? This is such an embarrassment to the nation.
    Hopefully she can be in good working order and ready in a few days?
    Cheers,
    George

  33. Update the sailing was cancelled by what is believed to be either a very similar problem or as some are claiming a logistics issue.

  34. Groundhog Day… again !

    7.22 am, Smoke from the Foreword island Funnel and a totally clear deck….. fingers crossed for 1pm.

        • Well I heard yesterday that when she fired up her engines… someone reported her and the Council Wheel Clamped her…… sounds plausible I guess.

        • Just looked at webcam 1st time today. Yes tiny! Couldn’t believe they were helis, looking so small, assumed they must be aircraft tractors. Lovely day to depart.
          Did anyone find out why departure was delayed yesterday?

          • Beautiful day…. I’mused to seeing Merlins and Wildcats and Merlins certainly do cast bigger shadows….. fingers crossed mate…… i’ll be on the Web Cam Site for a bit now…. looks like Mounts Bay and Somerset (?) just left Plymouth too but Ship Tracker is a bit ambiguous at the moment.

    • No, I’m happy to report that the Prince of Wales has just been Tugged off the wall and is currently being turned into the wind….. or something like that anyway…. bloody Web Cams !…… were you ever a Rear Gunner Mate…. just asking ?

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