WATCH: Tense moment as HMS Queen Elizabeth sails under three bridges

June 27, 2017

Watch as supercarrier HMS Queen Elizabeth successfully navigates the three bridges over the River Forth in the dead of night.

Admiral Sir Philip Jones First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff said:

“This is a hugely significant moment for the Royal Navy, for all our Armed Forces and for our island nation. Once in service HMS Queen Elizabeth will be the largest aircraft carrier in the world outside the United States, and the first designed from the outset to operate a fifth generation aircraft.

Already this ship represents the best of the UK’s industrial and engineering expertise, and once in service she will symbolise our military power and authority in the world for decades to come. There is still much work to do between now and then, but be in no doubt: a new era of British maritime power is about to begin.”

The sea trials will monitor speed, manoeuvrability, power and propulsion as well as undertaking weapons trials and additional tests on her levels of readiness.

Key Facts

Each carrier is 280 metres in length
Top speed is upwards of 25 knots
The carriers will have a crew complement of c.700, increasing to c.1,600 when a full complement of 36 F-35B aircraft and four Crowsnest helicopters are embarked
The flight deck is 70 metres wide and 280 metres long – enough space for three football pitches
Each carrier keeps 45 days’ worth of food in its stores.
Each carrier is made up of 17 million parts
There are 364,000 metres of pipes inside each of the Ships
51 million hours have been spent designing and building the Queen Elizabeth Class.
The entire Ship’s Company can be served a meal within 90 minutes, 45 minutes when at action station
The QE Class aircraft carriers are the first Royal Navy vessels to have piped oxygen within the medical complex

Following this initial period, HMS Queen Elizabeth will return to Rosyth for further testing and maintenance before heading back to sea for a second stage which aims to test her Mission Systems. She will transit to her home port of Portsmouth Naval Base to be handed over to the Royal Navy later this year.