‘Leaky Lizzie’ or pride of the fleet? UK’s most advanced aircraft carrier eyes global role after mishaps
- HMS Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s newest and most expensive aircraft carrier, is expected to be operational in 2020
- It has been beset by teething problems including a ‘major leak’ earlier this month
Families of personnel at the Portsmouth Naval Base in southern England enjoyed a day out last week on the HMS Queen Elizabeth, the UK’s largest ever warship, which at 280 metres in length is longer than Britain’s Houses of Parliament.
Children were given a rare glimpse inside the 65,000-tonne vessel’s control towers, aircraft hangar and enormous four-acre flight deck, with its ski launch ramp for fighter jet take-offs.
The visit, part of a series of public relations exercises underway for the £3.1 billion (US$3.9 billion) aircraft carrier, follows a succession of mishaps concerning the mammoth ship that has taken more than 10 years and 10,000 workers to build.
Once operational in 2020, the ship, which will be the first aircraft carrier the UK has had in operation for a decade, will replace the HMS Albion as the Royal Navy’s flagship.
Last February, the vessel was the centre of a major diplomatic rift after the then Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson announced he would send Britain’s most advanced military vessel to the Pacific on its maiden voyage, with a contingent of advanced F-35 aircraft.
Williamson, a committed Brexiteer, made the announcement as part of his plan to strengthen the UK military’s role in the new “Global Britain”.
