Navy

HMS Queen Elizabeth returns to Portsmouth after months-long works in Scotland

The Royal Navy aircraft carrier has returned to Portsmouth after spending around eight months in Scotland for a series of upgrades to her propulsion system

BFBS Forces News reporter Tim Cooper was in Portsmouth to watch the Royal Navy aircraft carrier come home.

Bright blue skies and fair winds greeted HMS Queen Elizabeth back to Portsmouth.

The ship had been away for around eight months for a series of upgrades to her propulsion system and other works, which took longer than anticipated.

Sailors waved to their loved ones gathered at the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour, including Mark and Hayley, who'd come to see their son home.

"This is his first time at sea on the 'big ship'... it's a great time for us, it'll be nice for us to see him today," they told me.

HMS Queen Elizabeth's next deployment isn't yet confirmed.

Her return to Portsmouth, though, comes hot on the heels of the departure of her sister ship, HMS Prince of Wales.

The fleet flagship left Portsmouth on Friday evening, to prepare for her deployment leading the Carrier Strike Group to the High North and North Atlantic later this year.