UK Defence Forum

Alternatively, just toss them on imgur and then add the links here. Nice and quick site that leaves things at good resolutions.

Yeeeeessssss!!!
(Eric Eisner is the son of Portsmouth FC owner, Michael Eisner)

Thanks SKB...have realised why they're not uploading...they're all more than 2MB (average size is 7MB). Have uploaded to imgur as per suggestion...

https://imgur.com/a/AzmIcn0?grid

These were taken on Tuesday from the Staten Island Ferry. Apologies, I'm not a photographer so just snapped away (a load of repetition but decided better to just upload them all and allow people to skim).

@ Cr4zyhor5e
Good camera. Can still make out QE's ramp crest and name stickers under the grey paint!

A few news items:

55,000??

New US Navy video about the F-35 trials on QE, with bonus SH-60 taking off in the background...

Any POW News? She must be nearly ready to start her Engines soon, if not already achieved, considering her higher state of maturity over QE at this stage?

Also on the subject of Transfer boats, is it two per ship or four? I can only see two boat bays big enough for them, so does each hold two boats or is it just two boats per ship plus the smaller ribs?

Port: Three PTB bays and a smaller bay for rhibs.
Starboard: One smaller bay for rhibs.

Although four PTB's were ordered, each QEC ship only has three PTB bays. So some sharing of PTB's must be going on.

SKB wrote:so some sharing of PTB's must be going on.

If I remember correctly the PTB's for QE were from Alnmaritec, but the PTB's for PoW are from the recent workboat order that has been placed with Atlas Elektronik. By the looks of it there will be 7 in total, 4 from Alnmaritec, 3 from Atlas (presumably one of the Alnmaritec ones will be a spare). Quite why Alnmaritec didn't get the order for all 6 or 7 I've no idea, seems a little odd. If they had they would have produced them by now.

https://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/in-foc ... oyal-navy/

Timmymagic wrote:Atlas Elektronik.

Is the cue in the second part of the name... ie. will the function be different, or are their additions to it?

The 3 boats for Prince of Wales will use the same catamaran hullform of the new fleet of common-hull Workboats covering a multitude of roles.

I wonder if they will be a bit less "port shuttle" and a bit more rough, to serve, if not as landing craft proper, as boats useful to land Marines as well as sailors on leave.

There is an option for 3 more, too, so they might actually find their way back on QE as well. Which in turn would displace the current boats to some other fate.

ArmChairCivvy wrote: Is the cue in the second part of the name... ie. will the function be different, or are their additions to it?

Prime Contractor, thats all. The boats looked like the standard design with a passenger module on the back. I wonder if the order for Alnmaritec was placed for the PTB's for QE as needed sooner rather than later, whilst the larger workboat order was in the offing.

SKB wrote:Port: Three PTB bays and a smaller bay for rhibs.Starboard: One smaller bay for rhibs.

Correct but there is also a facility to launch RIB's from the stern and lower them to the water.

I notice RFA Tidespring is about 200 miles east of Boston heading South West, 12kts . I'm assuming she will join up and support HMS Queen Elizabeth & Montrose.

Gotta say... that is a bloody good shot

Bigger!

SDL wrote: a bloody good shot

+

SKB wrote:Bigger!

In the spirit of the comment, no such shot with an Osprey being lifted has emerged (yet)
- the door would seem much smaller than the opening? Whereas at the design stage it was explicitly stated that the hangar's 'hardhat' area could accommodate an Osprey

ArmChairCivvy wrote:- the door would seem much smaller than the opening?

Doors not fully open, the lifts can accommodate two F35B. I also read the hangar could take a Osprey.I believe the hangar height at the aft end is elevated for such a purpose. But have seen no images or graphics to back up that fact.

What would the sea state be before it started washing over those lifts?

Out of memory, they are four decks up from the water when in the bottom position. Waves of 12 or more meters would be needed.

That would be in the range of sea state eight very unlikely to be any flight operations

Work on HMS Prince Of Wales Jetty has started. Will be quite a sight to see both carriers in Portsmouth together.

Seems a bit small

I'm assuming it's not finished yet! I guess those pesky eels have stopped 'shagging' and work can continue. Picture below shows the 2 QE class in harbour, it seems one jetty will not be as long as the other due to constraints of the historic dockyard but will be fine.
Picture courtesy of www.royalnavy.mod.uk