First Captain To-Be Of HMS Prince Of Wales Announced

The first seagoing Captain of the Royal Navy’s second brand new aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, will be Captain Stephen Moorhouse.

The announcement was made two days before the warship is officially named at a ceremony tomorrow. 

Captain Moorhouse is an experienced naval officer, having worked as Commanding Officer on HMS Ocean and HMS Lancaster.

Captain Ian Groom, who is currently serving as the Senior Naval Officer on board HMS Prince of Wales, will be handing over to Moorhouse next year.

Speaking of his excitement about his new position, Captain Moorhouse said:

“I am honoured to have been appointed as the first seagoing Captain of HMS Prince of Wales, a hugely exciting job to be in at such an important time for the Royal Navy."

“Seeing our sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth make her debut in Portsmouth last month was an amazing sight and I look forward to one day bringing HMS Prince of Wales home to the same warm welcome."

“Until then the ship’s company in Rosyth will continue to grow and they have much to be proud of in all the work they have done so far, working with our civilian industry partners to bring this ship to life.”

HMS Prince Of Wales-The Key Stats:

Cost Of Build: £3 billion

Length: 920 ft

Weight: 65,000 tonnes 

Range: 10,000 nautical miles

Crew: 679

Transport Capability: Able to carry 36 F35B Lightning II Jets, up to 12 Chinook or Merlin helicopters and 8 Apache attack helicopters.

Planned Date For Service: 2020

Weapons Systems: Phalanx Close-In Weapons System for anti-aircraft and anti-missile defence, 30mm Automated Small Calibre Guns and Miniguns.