HMS Queen Elizabeth is currently in the Firth of Forth where she is believed to be waiting for the right tide before continuing her journey (Picture: BFBS)

Navy

HMS Queen Elizabeth heading back to open water following lengthy repairs in Rosyth

HMS Queen Elizabeth is back in open water following around eight months of engineering work.

The aircraft carrier underwent considerable work during her time in Rosyth, the dockyard where construction on her was completed.

She had to wait until low tide on the Forth before travelling under the three bridges that span the water – including the iconic rail crossing.

The ship left the basin in Rosyth yesterday at high tide.

The size of aircraft carriers like HMS Queen Elizabeth and her sister ship HMS Prince of Wales means getting her to open water is a delicate and well-planned process.

She spent the night at anchor in the shadow of the Queensferry Crossing before continuing her journey this morning – sunny skies and calm waters seeing her off from this busy waterway.

While HMS Prince of Wales was in dock in Scotland, her sister ship HMS Prince of Wales and her complement of F-35s were busy on Operation Highmast — While HMS Queen Elizabeth was in dock in Scotland, her sister ship HMS Prince of Wales and her complement of F-35s were busy on Operation Highmast (Picture: MOD)

The ship spent a little longer in Fife than initially planned, undergoing upgrades to her propulsion system as well as other engineering work.

She will be a welcome return to the fleet, with a busy Royal Navy needing every seagoing asset available to meet its ambitions.

HMS Queen Elizabeth's next deployment hasn't been confirmed, but she could see herself tasked with Operation Firecrest in the North Atlantic in next few weeks.