Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

[SKB]

QE to leave PRJ at 13:05 tomorrow (Friday 18th September 2020), heading for Nab Tower anchorage.
https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/qhm/portsm ... 18/09/2020

[SKB]

11:00 - QHM Portsmouth movements remains unchanged, and QE's AIS is switched on....
https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/ho ... 08/zoom:14

[The Armchair Soldier]

The changes to Queen Elizabeth prior to the upcoming GROUPEX and JW.:

[Wrekin1410]

11:00 - QHM Portsmouth movements remains unchanged, and QE's AIS is switched on....
https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/ho ... 08/zoom:14

Did she sail?

[Timmymagic]

The changes to Queen Elizabeth prior to the upcoming GROUPEX and JW.:

That sounds like the compartments for the USMC weren't totally finished at build? Were they just empty spaces requiring speccing then installation? I suppose it makes sense to a degree as kit and requirements could change in the time period between build and use. But all of the fibre install, new power and network points I thought were supposed to be in place from day one?

Would have thought the life rafts would have been there already as well.

[bobp]

Did she sail?

Not yet?

[SKB]

Did she sail?

No. And has vanished from today's QHM sailings

[Wrekin1410]

Did she sail?

No.

Thanks for the update.

[bobp]

new power and network points

US mains supply voltage is different to UK. Perhaps the US needed their own network for security purposes.

[Wrekin1410]

Did she sail?

No. And has vanished from today's QHM sailings

According to UK Defence Journal the next opportunity to sail will be on Monday. I imagine it will be eating into the pre GROUPEX program quite quickly now.

[SKB]

QE departure moved again to Monday 21st September 2020 at 15:25....
https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/qhm/portsm ... 21/09/2020

[inch]

Bit worrying really if its the weather to get out of port ,what would happen in war situation and need to sail that day but can't cos weather to get out of port .maybe it's just a bad place for her home port to be situated ? ...and yes I know it's not a war situation before someone says lol .does make me think tho that it going to take nothing to keep most of our fleet bottled up in a war situation or is that just me sad not sailing again and having a winge lol,( probably)

[Bring Deeps]

It's about your appetite for risk.

Leaving port in marginal conditions increases the chances of collision and grounding with all the attendant delay and bad PR.

In wartime there are different considerations but it's no coincidence that in a conflict you see a far greater number of casualties due to accidents and carelessness than in peacetime.

Monday or even a week on Monday is fine. We have waited this long, we can wait a bit longer.

[dmereifield]

Yes we can wait a little longer, just about! Really looking forward to seeing photos of her and the group(s) in the upcoming exercises. Still hoping that we might see her meet up with HMS PoW and HMS Albion/Bulwark for a phoe opp, too

[NickC]

Today, some nice pics

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... -sail.html

[RichardIC]

Today, some nice pics

Not today unfortunately.

[Bring Deeps]

In the meantime if 6 Merlin's from 820 NAS are aboard and 2 from 846NAS then with the 15 F35s that gets you to 23 aircraft and 'the most on a British carrier' since HMS Hermes. Ironically being towed to the scrapyard as I type.

[Scimitar54]

Shame that they could not have waited until next year! Photographs taken during a photo op with HMSQE and former HMS Hermes would have really been worth seeing.

[Ron5]

Shame that they could not have waited until next year! Photographs taken during a photo op with HMSQE and former HMS Hermes would have really been worth seeing.

Shame the UK cares so little about its maritime heritage that so few warships have been preserved. No battleship even though the UK invented Dreadnoughts and no aircraft carriers even though the UK invented them and invented the technology that's guided their current shapes. Kinda pathetic.

[serge750]

Would be a good rainy day out for the kids on a large aircraft carrier or battleship now we don't have navy days

I thought the aircraft carrier experience at Yeovil was pretty good

But would of been better on say an invincible CVL or Hermes with a couple of sea harriers, harriers sea king etc ( not in Yeovil though ! ) obviously not in the same league as the USS intrepid.

[Scimitar54]

serge750
Or USS Midway! A Buccaneer or two on Hermes and a couple of Sea Vixens as well would have been appropriate, in addition to the Sea Harriers and Sea Kings.

[SKB]

[SKB]

QE's 15:25 departure today looks like third time lucky again, as six tugs have assembled and the wind speed is low.
No third Phalanx fitted....

Marine Traffic: https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/ho ... 08/zoom:16

15:25 - She's moving!
15:53 - Passed Round Tower.

[SDL]

[SKB]

(Wight Media Services) 21st September 2020

Queen Elizabeth finally leaves Portsmouth after being delayed by strong winds.