UK Defence Forum

(The Telegraph) 18th May 2020

The Royal Navy has launched an investigation following a leak aboard HMS Prince of Wales, its £3 billion aircraft carrier, while it was docked at a naval base.

Video published on Facebook showed water pouring through the ceiling into an accommodation area of the 65,000-tonne warship. The leak is understood to have taken place on Friday while the £3bn warship was at Portsmouth Naval Base.

jimthelad wrote:Pipes leak!! The UK seems very good at washing it's dirty laundry in public and navel gazing. Most other nations don't tend to do this- we like to make ourselves look bad to prove a political point. Looking at allies issues then QEC have been a roaring success: CdG, GRF, LCS, F125, Navantia FF, Adelaide, etc. Of course ships leak, internal HP mains will fail, it is impossible to expect that you have 100% QC in a ship with over 6000 compartments and 1Bn components.

Very true and I whole heartedly agree, I think both the recent TV shows for QNLZ and Duncan have been very open about problems that can occur on a complex Warship and do not attempt to hide it. Unfortunately there will always be people that jump on these situations and beat the RN up over them.

dmereifield wrote:

clivestonehouse1 wrote:

dmereifield wrote:Any details? When will she be in sight of the breakwater, if at all?

She'll be close in enough for boat transfers so seaward side of the breakwater is the most likely anchor point for her.


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Great, thanks. Any idea when? Will try to get a look at her from Bovisand. Was gutted I missed her last visit

I've been advised that she's in the sound now but can't confirm 100%.

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clivestonehouse1 wrote:

dmereifield wrote:

clivestonehouse1 wrote:

dmereifield wrote:Any details? When will she be in sight of the breakwater, if at all?

She'll be close in enough for boat transfers so seaward side of the breakwater is the most likely anchor point for her.


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Great, thanks. Any idea when? Will try to get a look at her from Bovisand. Was gutted I missed her last visit

I've been advised that she's in the sound now but can't confirm 100%.

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Sadly not, but thanks anyway

(Warship TV) 19th May 2020

Royal Navy 'Queen Elizabeth' class Aircraft Carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth R08 is seen undertaking exercies south of the breakwater in Plymouth Sound on 19th May 2020

What’s that big puff of black smoke at 2m15?

Is that QE hitting the accelerator hard or something?

rbw91 wrote:What’s that big puff of black smoke at 2m15?

Is that QE hitting the accelerator hard or something?

As long as it's not another barbecue

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A Commando Wildcat from 847 Naval Air Squadron has landed on the deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth for the first time, say the Royal Navy.
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/command ... irst-time/

As it says in the comments... Didn't a Wildcat land on her during Westlant 18?

Little J wrote:As it says in the comments... Didn't a Wildcat land on her during Westlant 18?

You're right!

Different versions, Navy and Army/RM

Can’t wait for the first 809NAS F35b to execute a SRVL on a QEC Carrier then!

Scimitar54 wrote:SRVL

I was thinking that they have given up of that?

Trials due to be carried out with HMS Prince of Wales I believe, on a WESTLANT deployment. I don’t recall if it is ‘20 or ‘21. HMS PoW is fitted with the Bedford Array, which will help to facilitate this.

abc123 wrote:

Scimitar54 wrote:SRVL

I was thinking that they have given up of that?

You were incorrect. QE's trials last year showed the practicality and usefulness of the technique. It's here to stay.

Ron5 wrote:

abc123 wrote:

Scimitar54 wrote:SRVL

I was thinking that they have given up of that?

You were incorrect. QE's trials last year showed the practicality and usefulness of the technique. It's here to stay.

I stand corrected.

https://www.leonardocompany.com/en/pres ... ssile-lmm-

So it looks like Wildcat is going to form part of the QLZ's airgroup when she deploys next year.

RichardIC wrote:
https://www.leonardocompany.com/en/pres ... ssile-lmm-

So it looks like Wildcat is going to form part of the QLZ's airgroup when she deploys next year.

That's good news. The most recent air wing seemed a bit light on anti-submarine air assets (5 merlin mk.2s rather than 9). This should bolster that a bit on top of the anti-surface capability.

Max Jones wrote:

RichardIC wrote:
https://www.leonardocompany.com/en/pres ... ssile-lmm-

So it looks like Wildcat is going to form part of the QLZ's airgroup when she deploys next year.

That's good news. The most recent air wing seemed a bit light on anti-submarine air assets (5 merlin mk.2s rather than 9). This should bolster that a bit on top of the anti-surface capability.

Don't mean to start a bout of "fantasy airwings" but do we have any details of the likely airwing composition or numbers for her first operational deployment?

dmereifield wrote:

Max Jones wrote:

RichardIC wrote:
https://www.leonardocompany.com/en/pres ... ssile-lmm-

So it looks like Wildcat is going to form part of the QLZ's airgroup when she deploys next year.

That's good news. The most recent air wing seemed a bit light on anti-submarine air assets (5 merlin mk.2s rather than 9). This should bolster that a bit on top of the anti-surface capability.

Don't mean to start a bout of "fantasy airwings" but do we have any details of the likely airwing composition or numbers for her first operational deployment?

I assumed it would have the default operational load out of 24 F-35Bs + 9 ASW Merlins and 5 Merlin Crowsnest. That's largely been the standard in terms of helicopter composition and I believe that was the assumption with F-35Bs too (2 squadrons in peacetime for these sorts of operations - one FAA, one RAF/USMC).

In an interview with SaveTheRoyalNavy in December, Commodore Mike Utley (COMUKCSG at the time) reported there would be 16 F-35Bs split evenly between US/UK. For Merlins they will have 5+3 in ASW/AEW rather than 9+5 for 24 aircraft instead of 38 total. That said, I have heard there will be maybe 3 Merlin Mk.4s (give or take) used for SAR and replenishment which will be stored on the auxiliaries. That's a total 27 - Wildcats would maybe push it over 30.

I guess it depends on the 'threat' that Huawei pose and the US accepting the proposed integration to our network, obviously Covid-19 seems to have thrown a spanner into the Chinese proposals. Not sure how much, if any, Huawei have had in the QE Class so assuming it would be fine to deploy USMC F35B's on them. Certainly my Nipper was told from pretty much Phase1 not to get a Huawei mobile phone.

I would of thought / hoped from the mid 20's when we have more F35 the aircraft numbers could be increased for far away deployments !!

I was actually hoping for a couple of Apache's - no operational benefit, but just because i like them

You don’t seem to have registered the slogan 24 in ‘24 then?

Scimitar54 wrote:You don’t seem to have registered the slogan 24 in ‘24 then?

So we're now at 20 in '20?