HMS Prince of Wales moves out of dry dock after nine months of repairs
Britain's biggest warship which had been stricken since breaking down last August is ready to resume duties after completing nine months of repairs expected to cost about £25m.
HMS Prince of Wales, the Royal Navy's future flagship, broke down off the Isle of Wight 11 months ago as she set sail from Portsmouth Naval Base for a deployment to the US.
The £3bn aircraft carrier has now been moved out of dry dock at Rosyth shipyard and into the River Forth, and once at anchor in deeper water, she will fire up her systems, sail under the Forth bridges and head to Portsmouth.
HMS Prince of Wales' Commanding Officer, Captain Richard Hewitt, said: "We are returning HMS Prince of Wales to operations as the most advanced warship ever built for the Royal Navy.
"This year we will be operating F-35s, V-22 Ospreys, drones and the RN Merlin helicopters – pushing the boundaries of naval aviation and UK Carrier Strike capability as we progress towards a global deployment in 2025.
"Our sailors are paramount to ensuring our return to operations. They have approached the task of getting us back to sea with the remarkable ethos that I have come to expect from them. They are a credit to the ship and the Royal Navy."
The ship was forced to enter repairs after a malfunction to her starboard shaft.
The 65,000-tonne ship was brought back to Portsmouth for further examination by engineers from defence giant Babcock before the decision was taken for it to travel to Rosyth, where it was built, to undergo the repairs in dry dock.
It was later revealed that a second, separate shaft on board HMS Prince of Wales was found to have "similar issues" to those which first caused the carrier, commissioned in 2019, to undergo repairs.
Repairs to HMS Prince of Wales were initially expected to be completed by spring but the ship remains on course to return to her operational programme, which will include flying training and trials, in the autumn as previously planned.
The ship's time undergoing repairs means it has spent more time in dry dock than at sea.
Defence minister Baroness Goldie said in April that the repairs were expected to cost "approximately £25 million, however responsibility for payment has not yet been established".
The Navy said the ship's engineering departments have worked side-by-side with engineers from industry, led by Babcock who operate the Rosyth facility, to fix the propeller shafts alongside BAE Systems, who have been carrying out previously-planned capability upgrade works.
The Navy described the upgrades as "significant capability enhancements" to support the ship's future taskings.
Commander Helen Jones, the carrier’s Commander Marine Engineering, said: "The team on board have risen to the challenge of returning this ship to sea and we are looking forward to testing the systems and returning to operations for the Royal Navy."
Once propulsion trials have been completed, the Navy says HMS Prince of Wales will "bring her flight deck back to life" before returning to Portsmouth ahead of a deployment to the US in the autumn.
The Ship's Company have been maintaining their training levels either aboard HMS Prince of Wales, or by making use of training simulators ashore such as at HMS Sultan and HMS Collingwood.
Related topics
Join Our Newsletter
