Britain’s Aircraft Carrier Queen Elizabeth Begins Sea Trials

The British Navy has commissioned two aircraft carriers to be built at the Rosyth dockyards at a cost of six billion Euros. The first of which, the Queen Elizabeth is leaving the port to undergo her sea trials.

Queen Elizabeth will carry over 40 aircraft and be able to project British air power anywhere in the oceans of the world.

It is the largest warship ever built for the Royal Navy. The flight deck alone is the size of three football pitches.

Once in service the ship can operate with a crew of 1,000 and 40 aircraft.

The 65,000 tonne warship is the Royal Navy’s first aircraft carrier since HMS Illustrious was scrapped in 2014.

The numbers behind HMS Queen Elizabeth

• The project to build HMS Queen Elizabeth and sister ship HMS Prince of Wales cost more than £6bn

• The aircraft carrier weighs 65,000 tonnes and has a top speed of 25 knots

• Its flight deck is 280m long and 70m wide – enough space for three football pitches

• The ship is the second in the Royal Navy to be named Queen Elizabeth

• It will have a crew of about 700, increasing to 1,600 when a full complement of F-35B jets and Crowsnest helicopters are embarked

• There are 364,000m of pipes inside the ship

• Both HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales will keep 45 days worth of food in its stores

• The entire ship’s company of 700 can be served a meal within 90 minutes – or 45 minutes when at action station

• Leaving the Rosytdock will be among the most difficult manoeuvres in the sea trials with just 50cm between the bottom of the ship and the seabed in the port

Commanding Officer Captain Jerry Kydd said the ship was important for Britain’s reputation as a naval power.

“I think there are very few capabilities, by any country, that are as symbolic as a carrier strike capability,” he added.

“Submarines you can’t see, but these are very visible symbols of power and power projection.”

The ship at the conclusion of her sea trials would still be several years from being an operational ship, as it has a scheduled date of 2020 as being ready. Although technical issues were forcing to its trials to begin three months late.

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Photo courtesy Royal Navy