BACK

Nato exercise: Royal Navy aircraft carrier’s departure cancelled

Ag Pa
Monday, Feb 12, 2024

LONDON: The departure of the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales has been cancelled at the last moment as it was about to set sail to replace its sister ship which

was also forced to cancel its deployment.

The fleet flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth had been expected to depart from Portsmouth Naval Base last Sunday to lead the largest Nato exercise since the Cold War, involving more than 40 vessels.

But the sailing of the £3 billion warship was called off at the last minute after an “issue” was found in final checks with the starboard propeller coupling.The setback came 18 months after HMS Prince of Wales broke down off the Isle of Wight, when it also suffered a malfunction with a coupling on its starboard propeller.

Since the cancellation was announced, the crew and base workers have been busily preparing the HMS Prince of Wales to take over its sister ship’s role in Exercise Steadfast Defender – which will take place off Norway. As part of the preparations, scaffolding which was seen on the carrier’s flight deck had been removed ready for the sailing. People lined the walls of Portsmouth Harbour to watch the 65,000-tonne warship on Sunday.

But after Ministry of Defence (MoD) police boats had secured the area and the harbour mouth was closed to traffic – the normal protocol for the departure of a carrier – the channel was reopened and HMS Prince of Wales failed to leave the jetty. It is unclear if the sailing was cancelled before the carrier was set to leave or whether it had made its first movements from the jetty at Portsmouth Naval Base. One member of the public who had come to wave off the carrier said: “I hope it hasn’t broken down again.” After about 20 minutes, the hundreds of people gathered to see the ship started to disperse as word spread that it was not leaving.

The MoD has been approached for clarification on the warship’s departure plans.Announcing the change of plans, Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Andrew Burns said: “Routine pre-sailing checks identified an issue with a coupling on HMS Queen Elizabeth’s starboard propeller shaft. As such, the ship will not sail on Sunday. “HMS Prince of Wales will take her place on Nato duties and will set sail for Exercise Steadfast Defender as soon as possible.” A Royal Navy spokesman said: “On completion of initial investigations, HMS Queen Elizabeth will sail for Rosyth in Scotland so any necessary repairs can be carried out in due course.”