Aircraft carrier breaks down off south coast ahead of key trip to US

2022-08-29

Britain’s five-year-old £3billion aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales breaks down off the south coast of England just a short distance into 3,500 mile trip to the US after suffering ‘damage to its propeller shaft’

The 65,000-tonne warship is now reportedly anchored near the Isle of Wight
A Royal Navy spokesperson said is has suffered an ’emerging mechanical issue’
It already delayed departure from Portsmouth on Friday due to technical issue
If the trip goes ahead, the Nato flagship is due to undertake training exercises

The UK’s biggest warship broke down off the south coast of England today due to ‘damage to its propeller shaft’ after it had just set sail for a major mission to the United States.

The five-year-old HMS Prince of Wales, which is the second of the Royal Navy’s two aircraft carriers, has suffered an ’emerging mechanical issue’ near the Isle of Wight, according to a Royal Navy spokesperson.

This comes after the £3 billion carrier already had to delay its departure on Friday from Portsmouth Naval Base, Hampshire, by a day because of a technical issue.

The 65,000-tonne warship is now reportedly anchored south east of the Isle of Wight as an investigation into the problem is carried out.

The Navy Lookout reported, ‘It may be unrelated but the wake visible in the photo above, taken as she sailed yesterday, appears to indicate only the port shaft turning.’

The Royal Navy spokesperson told Sky News: ‘HMS Prince of Wales remains in the South Coast Exercise Area while conducting investigations into an emerging mechanical issue.’

Meanwhile, the UK Defence Journal, the online news site that first reported on the problem, claimed the issue was specifically related to damage to the starboard propeller shaft.

It reported: ‘A source told me that divers were sent down to determine what was wrong after issues were noticed onboard, and once they returned, the divers had concerns over the starboard propellor shaft

‘I was told that the shaft itself appears to be damaged, but I don’t believe it’s appropriate to comment on the extent of any potential damage at this stage, given the specifics of any damage cannot be confirmed.’

Another specialist news site, Navy Lookout, reported that the carrier had suffered a ‘significant technical fault’.

It again cited the unconfirmed claims that there has been ‘damage to the starboard propeller shaft’, similarly adding that ‘divers have been inspecting the ship below the waterline’.

The five-year-old HMS Prince of Wales is the second of the Royal Navy’s two aircraft carriers

The Nato flagship is due to undertake training exercises with the US Navy as well as the Royal Canadian Navy, United States Marine Corps. The programme is expected to include exercises with the F-35B Lightning jets

If the trip still goes ahead, it has been described by the Royal Navy as set to ‘shape the future of stealth jet and drone operations off the coast of North America and in the Caribbean’.

The warship was given a colourful send-off as it sailed passed thousands of music-lovers at the Victorious music festival on Southsea Common in Portsmouth on Saturday.

The warship was given a colourful send-off as it sailed passed thousands of music-lovers at the Victorious music festival on Southsea Common in Portsmouth on Saturday (dancer Sally Turner of Hoop Shaker is pictured)

Family and friends waving to sailors on board HMS Prince of Wales as it set sail on Saturday

The carrier’s departure came a day late, although a Royal Navy spokesman declined to comment on the reason for the postponement

Its departure came a day late, although a Royal Navy spokesman declined to comment on the reason for the postponement. They said: ‘HMS Prince of Wales’ departure has been delayed. This will not affect her onward programme.’

But now the carrier is reportedly at anchor. 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.’

But Navy Lookout reported that the official line is the mission is still due to happen, with a Royal Navy spokesperson telling the site: ‘We expect her to continue her WESTLANT 22 deployment as planned in the coming days.’

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

Before the mechanical issue and to mark the warship’s departure, Commanding Officer Captain Richard Hewitt had said in a statement: ‘Taking the HMS Prince of Wales task group across the Atlantic for the rest of this year will not only push the boundaries of UK carrier operations, but will reinforce our close working relationship with our closest ally.

‘From operating the F35 Lightnings and drones to hosting the Atlantic Future Forum, none of this would be possible without the efforts of the amazing sailors on board, many of which are on their first deployment with the Royal Navy.’

MailOnline has contacted the Ministry of Defence for comment.

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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