After breaking down yesterday off the south coast of England owing to “damage to its propeller shaft,” the UK’s largest warship may need to spend a considerable amount of time in dry dock. The ship had just set sail on a significant mission to the United States.
According to a Royal Navy spokeswoman, the five-year-old HMS Prince of Wales, the second of the Royal Navy’s two aircraft carriers, had a “emerging mechanical problem” yesterday near the Isle of Wight and has since been relocated to a more suitable area for examination.
It is unknown whether the two events are connected, but the £3 billion carrier had to postpone its departure from Portsmouth Naval Base, Hampshire, on Friday by a day due to a mechanical problem.
According to reports, the 65,000-ton battleship was allegedly moored to the south-east of the Isle of Wight while the issue was being investigated.
According to Sky News, it now looks to have traveled a few miles north and then west near Stokes Bay, Gosport, according to MarineTraffic.com.
The protected region at Stokes Bay provides a more convenient location for divers to check any damage, therefore it is assumed that the carrier is being transported to a location where it can be more readily examined.
According to The Telegraph, it has not yet been decided whether or not HMS Prince of Wales will return to port, leaving the possibility of a protracted examination in a dry dock. Any prolonged inquiry might have an impact on deployment, which could result in the ship’s trip to the US being canceled. Due to a technical glitch, the £3 billion carrier had had to postpone its departure on Friday from Portsmouth Naval Base, Hampshire, by one day.
The NATO flagship will participate in training drills with the US Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, and US Marine Corps. The program is anticipated to involve F-35B Lightning jet exercises.
You may be aware of concerns with @HMSPWLS since departing her home port of Portsmouth on Saturday, according to a tweet from the Royal Navy earlier today. We are now relocating her to a new location so that we may conduct a more thorough investigation of the ship.
‘Right now our emphasis is on the ship and our crew; everyone is working hard to identify the situation and what can be done next,’ stated another tweet from its account.
In light of continuing “investigations into an emergent technical problem,” a Royal Navy official informed Sky News yesterday that the HMS Prince of Wales was still moored in the South Coast Exercise Area.
The online news source The UK Defence Journal said that the issue was directly connected to damage to the starboard propeller shaft when it initially reported on the issue.
On Twitter, the Royal Navy provided updates about the HMS Prince of Wales.
It stated: “A source informed me that divers were dispatched down to investigate when problems aboard were discovered, and upon their return, the divers expressed worry about the starboard propellor shaft.”
“The shaft itself seems to be damaged, I was informed, but I don’t feel it’s acceptable to comment on the degree of any possible damage at this time, since the details of any damage cannot be verified,” the source said.
According to Navy Lookout, a different specialized news outlet, the carrier had a “major technical failure.”
The unsubstantiated reports of “damage to the starboard propeller shaft” and “divers had been examining the ship below the waterline” were again referenced.
The Royal Navy has called the voyage, if it proceeds, “a significant expedition to define the future of stealth jet and drone operations off the coast of North America and in the Caribbean.”
Family and friends waving to sailors on board HMS Prince of Wales as it set sail on Saturday
The ship left a day later than expected, but a Royal Navy spokeswoman would not comment on the delay.
The NATO flagship will participate in training drills with the US Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, and US Marine Corps. The program is anticipated to feature F-35B Lightning jet exercise.
Thousands of music enthusiasts at the Victorious music festival on Southsea Common in Portsmouth on Saturday gave the battleship a colorful send-off as it sailed by them.
Although a Royal Navy official refused to comment on the cause for the delay, it left a day later than expected. The departure of HMS Prince of Wales has been postponed, they said. She won’t be affected by this for her future plans.
A graphic shows how the Queen Elizabeth class of carriers – which includes two vessels; the HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales – can produce 500 tonnes of fresh water from sea water daily
Pictured: The Queen Elizabeth class features HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales
However, according to reports, the ship was at anchor yesterday. The UK Defence Journal was told by the Ministry of Defence: ‘Having sailed from Portsmouth, HMS PRINCE OF WALES remains in the South Coast Exercise Area.’
Although the operation is still scheduled to go place, according to a Royal Navy spokeswoman who told Navy Lookout yesterday: “We anticipate her to continue her WESTLANT 22 deployment as planned in the coming days,”
Before the mechanical problem, Commanding Officer Captain Richard Hewitt issued the following statement to mark the warship’s departure: “Taking the HMS Prince of Wales task group across the Atlantic for the rest of this year will not only push the limits of UK carrier operations, but will reinforce our close working relationship with our closest ally.
None of this would be possible without the efforts of the incredible sailors on board, many of whom are serving their first deployment with the Royal Navy. They operate the F35 Lightnings and drones, and they host the Atlantic Future Forum, among other things.
For a response, MailOnline contacted the Ministry of Defense.
HMS Prince of Wales: The numbers behind Navy’s newest aircraft carrier
Cost: £3.3 billion. Originally £3billion, various faults and repairs drove up the cost.
Weight: 65,000
Crew: 1,600 when fully functional.
Dimensions: More than 900ft long and 230ft wide, with four-acre decks about the size of three football pitches.
Speed: Top speed of 28 mph. Capable of travelling 500 miles a day.
Fighter jets: Capacity for 36 F35-B Lightning II fighter jets. The jets can be lifted from the below-deck hangar to the deck in just 60 seconds.
Weapons: Weapon system capable of firing 3,000 rounds per minute.
Radars: Long-range radars can track up to 1,000 aerial targets from up to 250 nautical miles away.
Type 997 Artisan 3D medium range radars can track a target the size of a ball from a distance of 12 miles.
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