Royal Navy announced that its newest aircraft carrier, the HMS Prince of Wales, will be resuming its front-line operations. The aircraft carrier has departed Portsmouth and is set to return to Rosyth.
(Photo : Andrew Matthews-Pool/Getty Images)
PORTSMOUTH, UNITED KINGDOM - SEPTEMBER 22: Princess Anne, Princess Royal, as Commodore-in-Chief Portsmouth, meets Royal Navy personnel as she visits Portsmouth Naval Base to meet and thank members of the armed forces involved in her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's funeral on September 22, 2022 in Portsmouth, United Kingdom.
In Rosyth, the aircraft carrier will have its starboard propeller shaft worked on as it suffered a mechanical defect as it left New York last month. Divers saw that the shaft coupling had failed, and the fastest way to repair it was in Rosyth.
Since the aircraft carrier returned to Portsmouth Naval Base last month, engineers, naval architects, and divers have been working to ensure the HMS Prince of Wales has everything it needs when it goes back to operations.
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Unknown Repair Time
Until the aircraft carrier arrives in the dry dock, that's only when they will know how long it will take for the HMS Prince of Wales is fully operational again.
To prepare for its return to Rosyth, the navigation team of the carrier has trained on a simulator alongside Forth pilots and tug captains at South Shields Marine School at the South Tyneside College to practice anchorage and sailing under the three Forth bridges and into the dry dock.
The ship has sailed with 750 men and women who will stay on the ship and continue training for renewed operations and support the maintenance package while in Rosyth. They will continue to crew and train on the systems of the ship for their operational role.
Royal Navy's Newest Aircraft Carrier
On the other hand, this is the third time that the HMS Prince of Wales has been in Rosyth since it was handed over to the Royal Navy. It was previously in the dock in 2017, where it was fitted out and made ready to sail out of its dock on its first sea trial in June 2017. It was also in the dry dock for its handover trials.
This carrier is currently in the design stage of its second aircraft carrier, the HMS Queen Elizabeth, which was commissioned in December 2017.
The HMS Prince of Wales is the Royal Navy's largest-ever warship and, unlike its sister ship, the HMS Queen Elizabeth is configured for incorporating a centerline landing deck with four landing spots for the F-35 Lightning II stealth aircraft. Each landing spot can support the launch and recovery of two aircraft.
The carrier and its air wing of 40 aircraft can carry out a range of tasks which include providing air defense for the UK and to help with the protection of UK airspace and operations acting far from home.
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Written by April Fowell
