Supercarrier HMS Queen Elizabeth is heading to her home base via the western coast of the island of Great Britain.
While weather may change the date at short notice, HMS Queen Elizabeth will enter Portsmouth on Friday the 18th of August.
The time, according to some, will be 09:37am.
In preparation for HMS Queen Elizabeth becoming operational, more than 60 personnel have been fighting a series of high tempo warfighting challenges as part of a NATO maritime exercise off the coast of Scotland.
Embedded within the Nimitz class US carrier USS George H.W. Bush the UK personnel have been working with their US counterparts to hone their carrier strike skills ahead of the arrival of the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.
The war games, called Exercise Saxon Warrior, have seen the Commander of the UK Carrier Strike Group Commodore Andrew Betton and his team direct jets, firepower and personnel across the task group for the last ten days to ensure full readiness for the UK’s own carrier strike capability.
The vessel can be tracked here.
“We have enough frigates and destroyers to protect that task group. We will use coalition frigates and destroyers, but we have enough to deliver a sovereign task group.
Captain Kyd, HMS Queen Elizabeth’s Commanding Officer, said:
“HMS Queen Elizabeth is at the start of her journey to generate to full warfighting capability, but we are working hard to ready ourselves to take our place in operations and the line of battle alongside our closest allies.”
‘… and the Type 31s that are coming online’ – Which design has been chosen? What are the capabilities? When will it be built and where?
The Type 31 is now becoming the naval elephant in the room.
Is the government going to wait until the DSEI defence show in September to announce the Type 31 in the glare of the world’s media?
That’s very likely, and why not, it’s a great venue to blow our own trumpet and seek potential sales.
I can just imagine it now…. Sir Michael Fallon, grinning from ear to ear…. with the world’s media and heads of military looking at him, pulling the blue polyester sheet off the glass box, to reveal a ship….. a stretched OPV with megaphones and water cannons.
Why west? She started on the east. Would have been quicker to come down through the strait.
Why? She has been doing extensive steering and engine trials and that requires a lot of manouvering room..The North Sea is particularly crowded as opposed to the North of Scotland. The long way round gives them added trials time.
At the moment it is just south of Portland (1140G. 15-08.
Just near Freshwater Bay IOW. @1415…18.08..
Touched 29.2 knots on way in .. just south of the IOW…..
OOPS CORRCT VERSE…(Got carried away),,,,, Just near Ventnor IOW. @1415…18.08..
Touched 29.2 knots on way in .. just south of the IOW…..