Is Britain's Aircraft Carrier HMS Prince of Wales A Lemon?

HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth pictured at sea for the first time...Wednesday 19 May 2021 saw a historic moment in Britain’s carrier renaissance as HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales met at sea for the first time. With two 65,000 tonne carriers in operational service, Britain has a continuous carrier strike capability, with one vessel always ready to respond to global events at short notice.  

19FortyFive: HMS Prince of Wales: The Royal Navy’s Problem Child Aircraft Carrier? 

Earlier this month, the Royal Navy announced that its warships had spent nearly 10,000 hours – roughly 60 weeks in total – on NATO operations in 2022. The UK also led the alliance’s most important naval force. From the freezing Arctic and Baltic to the endless grey of the North Atlantic and azure waters of the Mediterranean, the Royal Navy’s warships, submarines, and aircraft successfully operated side by side with allies and partners, supporting peace and prosperity in Europe following Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.  

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Update #1: One of UK's ‘most powerful warships’ longer in repair than at sea – The Times (RT)  

Update #2: HMS Prince of Wales Spends More Time in Workshop Than on Seas, Reports Say (Sputnik)  

WNU Editor: When a brand new aircraft carrier spends more time in port for repairs than on seas, you know you have a problem.

Wasterwater Found In The Water Supply Aboard The Aircraft Carrier USS Abraham Lincoln

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln transits the Pacific Ocean.US Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Travis K. Mendoza  

Business Insider: The US Navy now knows why the water on an aircraft carrier looked and smelled strange. It had wastewater in it. 

* The US Navy found last month that the water on an aircraft carrier had an "odor and cloudy appearance." 

* The service said early last week it didn't know why the water looked and smelled strange. 

* An inspection has since concluded that wastewater had entered the system. 

A month after sailors on the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln first noticed their water looked and smelled strange, the service has finally determined that it was polluted with wastewater that leaked into the water supply. 

Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and USS Abraham Lincoln personnel inspected the potable water tanks and determined on October 20 that "bilge water entered one of the potable water tanks through a hole that was found in the tank's air vent line, causing the cloudy appearance and odor in the ship's potable water," the Navy said in a recent statement.  

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WNU Editor: It took them over a month to discover the leak.

HMS Prince of Wales Breaks Down One Day After Leaving Portsmouth On A ‘Landmark Mission’ To US

HMS Prince of Wales set sail from Portsmouth on Saturday. Pic: Royal Navy  

SKY News: UK's biggest warship, HMS Prince of Wales, breaks down off south coast shortly after setting sail for US  

The 65,000-tonne vessel is said to have suffered a "significant technical fault" - with unconfirmed reports about damage to the starboard propeller shaft. 

The UK's biggest warship has broken down off the south coast shortly after setting sail on what had been billed as a "landmark mission" to the United States. 

HMS Prince of Wales, the second of the Royal Navy's two aircraft carriers, was experiencing an "emerging mechanical issue", a spokesperson said. The problem is being investigated. 

The £3bn carrier, which became fully operational only last year, is reportedly anchored south east of the Isle of Wight while the investigation is carried out.  

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WNU Editor: The HMS Prince of Wales only became fully operational last year. 

HMS Prince of Wales Breaks Down One Day After Leaving Portsmouth On A ‘Landmark Mission’ To US 

HMS Prince of Wales warship breaks down off south coast after setting out on ‘landmark mission’ to US -- The Independent  

HMS Prince of Wales breaks down day after leaving Portsmouth -- The Guardian  

'HMS Prince of Wales' breaks down on day one of voyage -- The National  

NATO flagship 'breaks down' shortly after leaving port: report -- FOX News

The Royal Navy's Newest Aircraft Carrier HMS Prince of Wales Is Keeping The Neighbours Up At Night

The ship is moored at HMSB Portsmouth and its Wärtsilä diesel generators have caused people in Gosport, Hants, to complain of 'incessant noise pollution'

Daily Mail: Noisy engines on Royal Navy's newest £3.1 billion aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales are so loud they are keeping neighbours living near its Portsmouth base up at night

* The aircraft carrier has caused 'incessant noise pollution' with its diesel engines
* Homeowners in Gosport, Hants, have complained of the sound during lockdown
* Councillor Dawn Kelly says she can hear the 65,000-tonne ship from her home

The Royal Navy's newest super carrier is causing uproar in its home port because its noisy engines are keeping people awake at night with 'incessant noise pollution'.

The £3.1billion HMS Prince of Wales is running its massive diesel generators instead of being hooked up to a land-based power supply.

The 65,000-tonne ship returned to Portsmouth Naval Base, Hants, on March 25 and the racket will continue while the navy carrying out trials on a new power plant.

Exhausted harbour-side homeowners across the water in Gosport, Hants, say they are burying their heads under their pillows and suffering sleepless nights.

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WNU Editor: I would go nuts.

Are America's Allies 'Back In The Big Carrier Business'

Business Insider: US allies are 'back in the big carrier business,' but the US isn't so sure how many flattops it'll have in the future

* The US, British, and French navies all had carriers at sea in January, including the US and UK's newest flat tops.
* Those new carriers, and one France may acquire in coming years, will be in service for decades, but on the US side, changes may be coming for the role and size of that carrier force.

While the US's new aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, was undergoing testing off the East Coast last month, the Royal Navy's new carrier, the HMS Queen Elizabeth, was landing and launching jets in UK waters for the first time in a decade and the venerable French carrier Charles de Gaulle was setting off on its first deployment since its 18-month-long midlife overhaul ended late last year.

That activity is a sign the French and the British "are now back in the big carrier business," Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis, commander of the Navy's recently reestablished 2nd Fleet, said this month in Washington, DC.

"Having that global carrier force is real beneficial. That helps our operational dilemma quite a bit," Lewis added in response to a question about his command's partnerships with European navies.

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WNU Editor: The UK's aircraft carriers lack planes and escort ships, and the French carrier Charles de Gaulle is just coming back after a long overdue overhaul.

Britain's New Aircraft Carrier HMS Prince of Wales Sails For The First Time

Daily Mail: Final touches are added to HMS Prince of Wales before it sets sail from Rosyth Dockyard for sea trials

* The £3.1 billion HMS Prince of Wales makes its maiden voyage today to begin nine weeks of sea trials
* Britain's second and newest aircraft carrier, measuring 920 feet in length, leaves Rosyth dockyard in Scotland
* Navigators, pilots and tug boats had the slimmest of margins to deal with as they guided the 65,000 tonne behemoth out of the basin through a narrow opening during high tide

Britain's second and newest aircraft carrier, the £3.1 billion HMS Prince of Wales, makes its maiden voyage today to begin nine weeks of sea trials.

Measuring 920 feet in length, the sister ship of HMS Queen Elizabeth squeezed out of Rosyth dockyard, leaving the Scottish basin where she was assembled, and announced it was at anchor in the Forth at 8pm.

The process of getting the four-acre military operating base on to the Firth of Forth represented one of the most delicate manoeuvres the warship would have to undertake.

Navigators, pilots and tug boats had the slimmest of margins to deal with as they guided the 65,000 tonne behemoth out of the basin through a narrow opening during high tide.

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WNU Editor: The crew are slamming their quarters .... HMS Prince of Wales 'is a bomb site': Sailors on board new £3.2bn 'Big Charlie' aircraft carrier slam plush officers' cabin portrayed in glitzy launch publicity - saying crew quarters are unfinished and 'demoralising' (Daily Mail).

More News On Britain's New Aircraft Carrier HMS Prince of Wales At Sea For The First Time

HMS Prince of Wales: New aircraft carrier sails for the first time -- BBC
HMS Prince Of Wales: Both Of Britain's Aircraft Carriers At Sea For First Time -- Forces Network
HMS Prince of Wales: Tight squeeze for 'extraordinary' UK aircraft carrier in maiden voyage -- SKY News
Royal Navy supercarrier HMS Prince of Wales leaves dock for the first time -- ITV News
HMS Prince of Wales sets sail for the first time -- Naval-Technology

Britain’s New Aircraft Carrier Developed A Serious Leak (Again) During Sea Trials

The 65,000-tonne carrier, the largest warship ever to be built in Britain, is expected to be the Royal Navy's flagship for at least 50 years.

Daily Mail: Big Lizzie had big leaky! State-of-the-art aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth let more than 200 tons of water onto ship when it suffered burst pipe - enough to drown three people

* HMS Queen Elizabeth left Portsmouth Naval Base last month to embark on trials
* But the ship was forced to return after the £3.1 billion aircraft carrier had a leak
* The ship's company removed a large volume of water from the hull afterwards

The leak onboard Britain's largest and most powerful warship which caused it to return to port yesterday was far worst than initially feared, reports suggest.

A burst pipe onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth, a £3.1 billion aircraft carrier, let in more than 200 tons of water and put it out of commission for the second time in just 19 months.

Several decks were reportedly flooded after the salt water pipe burst putting at least three people at risk of drowning - according to Forces News.

The force from the leaking pipe was so strong that a stairwell is understood to have been buckled by the high-pressure jet of water.

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More News On The HMS Queen Elizabeth Developing A Serious Leak During Sea Trials

HMS Queen Elizabeth: Water leak on aircraft carrier 'neck-high' -- BBC
HMS Queen Elizabeth: More Than 200 Tonnes Of Water Leaks After Burst Pipe -- Forces Network
Britain's new $3.8 billion aircraft carrier just sprang a leak -- CNN
Britain’s new aircraft carrier springs a leak — again -- Defense News
Over 200 tons of water leaked onto HMS Queen Elizabeth, 3 sailors nearly drowned – report -- RT

BAE Has Offered Its Queen Elizabeth Carrier Design To India

Two F-35B fighters fly over the HMS Queen Elizabeth, Twitter handle of HMS Queen Elizabeth

Australian Defense: BAE Systems offers Queen Elizabeth carrier design to India

Speaking at the 2019 Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) exhibition last week, a BAE Systems representative confirmed that the company is offering its Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) aircraft carrier design to the Indian Navy.

India currently has one aircraft carrier in service, the 45,000 ton former Soviet Kiev-class Admiral Gorshkov, now known as the INS Vikramaditya, which accommodates embarked MiG-29K fighters and helicopters. The country is also building a second carrier, the 40,000 tonne INS Vikrant, in a local shipyard and this vessel is expected to begin sea trials in 2020.

However, the Indian Government also has a requirement for a third, larger, carrier in the 65,000 tonne class, to be known as the INS Vishal. Like Vikrant, the ship will be built locally, in the Cochin shipyard.

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Update: British aircraft carrier design being offered to Indian Navy: Report (The Week)

WNU Editor: Some are wondering if the British government is thinking of selling one of its QE class aircraft carriers to India.

Britain's Newest Aircraft Carrier Has No Planes. Flight Crews Are Practising With 'Dummy Planes'

HMS Queen Elizabeth is seen with HMS Sutherland and HMS Iron Duke. The aircraft carrier proudly hit the waters earlier this week - but currently its crew only has replica planes to practise with

Daily Mail: It's a BAREcraft carrier! UK's new £3.1bn warship dubbed Big Lizzie heads to the North Sea for six weeks of testing with empty decks and NO planes to transport

* Replicas of the F-35 Lightning II jets were delivered to RNAS Culdroe so crews can practise pushing them
* Despite their convincing appearances the models at the Cornwall base lack engines, sensors or weapons
* But naval personnel will get used to moving bigger, heavier aircraft than they ever have done before
* HMS Queen Elizabeth - Britain's biggest-ever warship - was deployed in Firth, Scotland, earlier this week

The £3.1billion HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier was today photographed making its way to the North Sea - with no planes on board.

Instead, life-size models of the F-35 Lightning II jets will be pushed around tarmac at Cornwall's RNAS Culdrose so flight deck teams can get a feel for the world's most advanced warplanes.

The real jets will be deployed on the 65,000-tonne vessel - named 'Big Lizzie' - which was put into the sea for the first time in Scotland on Monday.

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WNU Editor: HMS Queen Elizabeth does look impressive on the open sea.

The United Kingdom's First Aircraft Carrier In More Than 30 Years Is Months From Sea Trials

Popular Mechanics: Britain's First New Aircraft Carrier in Decades Is Almost Ready

The two flat tops of the Queen Elizabeth class will carry the Joint Strike Fighter.

The United Kingdom's first aircraft carrier in more than 30 years is just months from sea trials. HMS Queen Elizabeth will get the Royal Navy back into the naval aviation game after a brief absence.

Queen Elizabeth is expected to be fully operational by 2020, with her sister ship Prince of Wales following in 2023. The two ships will give the United Kingdom a powerful capability to fight at sea and attack targets under water and on the ground.

The U.K. lost its carrier aircraft capability with the retirement of the Harrier jump jet fighters in 2010 and the scrapping of its HMS Invincible-class carriers. While this was a blow to the country's ability to project power from the sea, Britain hopes two much larger carriers and a complement of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to go with them will be worth the wait.

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WNU Editor: Now it needs planes.

Captain Of Britain's Newest Aircraft Carrier Sends A Warning To The Country's Enemies

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

The carrier weighs 72,000 tons and is 932 feet long, making it the largest Royal Navy ship ever built

Daily Mail: Enemies will 'think twice' about war with Britain when biggest ever Royal Navy ship sets sails in 2020, says the captain of the 72,000-tonne vessel

* Aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth weighs 72,000 tons and is 932 ft long, part of a £6.2billion international project
* Captain Simon Petitt says it will be the most 'potent' weapon against ISIS when it finally goes into service in 2020
* Next year it will take F-35B Lightening II stealth fighter to Gulf in trials, where they can mount attacks from carrier

Britain's enemies will 'think twice' before they start a war after watching the biggest ever Royal Navy ship coming over the horizon, its captain said yesterday.

Speaking aboard aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth - which is 72,000 tons and 932 feet long - Captain Simon Petitt said he was standing on the most 'potent' conventional weapon against Islamic State.

Next year it will deploy for sea trials before most likely heading to the Gulf, where it will take the most advanced stealth fighter jet in the world - the F-35B Lightening II jet - to the fight.

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WNU Editor: This is a puff-piece on Britain's newest aircraft carrier. What's my take .... against weaker enemies it will be formidable .... against Russia or China .... just a big target.

British Aircraft Carrier Costs 'To Double'

An artists' impression of the two new aircraft carriers. The Telegraph

Royal Navy Aircraft Carrier Costs 'To Double' -- BBC

The cost of two new aircraft carriers being built for the Royal Navy is expected to be almost twice the original estimate, the government is expected to confirm this week.

In the latest budget, the Ministry of Defence is set to estimate the cost of the two ships at £6.2bn.

The department says it is renegotiating the contract to avoid further significant rises.

Six years ago, when the contract was approved, costs were put at £3.65bn.

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More News On British Aircraft Carrier Costs Projected 'To Double'

Carrier cost 'could rise even higher than £6.2 billion' -- The Telegraph
Aircraft carrier contract renegotiated as costs soar -- The Guardian
Aircraft carriers’ cost to rise to £6.2bn -- Financial Times
Royal Navy's aircraft carrier bill 'to hit £6bn' -- The Independent
Aircraft carriers bill 'likely to top £6 billion' -- ITV
Royal Navy aircraft super-carriers bill doubles to more than SIX BILLION pounds -- Mirror
Q&A: UK aircraft carrier contracts -- Financial Times

New £4bn Aircraft Carriers 'At Expense Of Troop Budgets'

USS John C Stennis and the HMS Invincible
(From The Telegraph)

Defence chiefs have faced criticism over a decision to spend £4bn on two new aircraft carriers at a time when troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are severely overstretched.

The deal for the vessels, the first of which, Queen Elizabeth, is due into operation in 2014, was signed onboard in Portsmouth on Thursday.

Defence Secretary Des Browne said it represented "a historic day" for the military and would ensure Britain maintained its "world-class capabilities".

But critics say the project comes at the expense of hard-pressed troops fighting a war on two fronts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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More News On The U.K. Navy:
UK government signs aircraft carrier contracts worth 3 bln pounds -- Forbes
MoD signs $3bln of contracts for aircraft carriers -- AFP
Giant aircraft carriers to be built -- The Guardian
Carrier jobs joy but is cost too high? -- The Scotsman
Biggest ships ever built for Royal Navy -- Portsmouth
FACTBOX-Royal Navy's new aircraft carriers -- Reuters

My Comment: Spend the money on the war that you are fighting now .... not the war that you may fight a decade later. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has realized this, firing the U.S. Air Force chiefs when soldiers in the field started to complain that the U.S. Air Force were not delivering the support that they needed.

Its great to have dozens of F-22 fighter jets, but they are totally useless fighting the war that U.S. forces are fighting now. The U.S. brass now realize that .... the U.K. brass have a different point of view.

My gut tells me that British soldiers in the mountains of Afghanistan are feeling left out right now.