Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Contains threads on Royal Navy equipment of the past, present and future.
inch
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by inch »

Well that's another 65k tonnes total to add to the fleet and rn say again in article above quote added by skb that pow is larger and heavier than hmsqe ( v slightly) ,but in all seriousness well done everbody getting this ship to this point ,hats off to you all :-)

PhillyJ
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by PhillyJ »

inch wrote:Well that's another 65k tonnes total to add to the fleet and rn say again in article above quote added by skb that pow is larger and heavier than hmsqe ( v slightly) ,but in all seriousness well done everbody getting this ship to this point ,hats off to you all :-)
She is, albeit in a way to show 2 fingers to her older Sister and by not a lot...where else would you expect a younger Sister to be happy about being heavier!

Got to say, having been at the ceremony, we may not be as great a nation as we were once but by God we know how to put on a show. From the RN band to the arrival of Royalty it was a privilege to be a part of it, I know I have a personal link but even now the singing of the The Naval Hymn still brings a tear to the eye having had a Great Grandad perish at Jutland (must be grit in the air)

Taking our side out of the equation, the amount of gold and braid on offer from other country representatives was enough to sink her! I saw US, French, Australian, Canadian, Indian, possibly another Asian nation (sorry not sure) and to top it all off Bear Grylls was there to represent the scouts..possibly! US Ambassador was there, as well as lots of other non-military dignataries with gold chains.

Glad to say my nipper managed to stay upright and not sway for the entire time he was in the Guard, off for a family day later today (Wednesday) although as he and his Guard have been out on drinks since 1800 not sure how well that will go! I have video of his Guard entry and exit but didn't post here because not sure it was wanted. Night all!

inch
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by inch »

Well phillyj I'm going to say 4mts longer 2 MTRS wider and 3oz heavier lol :-),one day we might find out

PhillyJ
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by PhillyJ »

inch wrote:Well phillyj I'm going to say 4mts longer 2 MTRS wider and 3oz heavier lol :-),one day we might find out
After last night's shenanighans I reckon she is a lot heavier! Met my nipper, as he was on duty he sent a mate to pick me up from Victory Gate, and he showed me pretty much every nook and cranny of PWLS.

I went to both the bridge and Flyco, got to say I prefer Flyco as what a view, saw the Gash room and machine (what a stink), fo'c'sle, all the boats on port side (so Buccaneer and Swordfish), where my lad stands as a gunner with his GPMG and SA80 (which I got to play with alongside his baton, glock and body armour) a room with lots of CCTV screens and engine monitoring screens (but not the ops room) and as he was on duty I helped him check his allocated Breathing Apparatus was all in place and not tampered with.

He also took me to all the places for best phone coverage and where all the Warfare dept go to hide when they don't want to clean the boat decks!

I've got loads of pics to share...oh no hang on, I forget to take it! :thumbdown:

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Ron5 »

inch wrote:Well phillyj I'm going to say 4mts longer 2 MTRS wider and 3oz heavier lol :-),one day we might find out
I read in "someone who ought to know"s tweet yesterday (but I can't remember who) that PoW is 12 feet longer because of the changes for LPH duty plus detailed design changes made for ease of build. No mention of width or weight.

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Ron5 »

PhillyJ wrote:
inch wrote:Well phillyj I'm going to say 4mts longer 2 MTRS wider and 3oz heavier lol :-),one day we might find out
After last night's shenanighans I reckon she is a lot heavier! Met my nipper, as he was on duty he sent a mate to pick me up from Victory Gate, and he showed me pretty much every nook and cranny of PWLS.

I went to both the bridge and Flyco, got to say I prefer Flyco as what a view, saw the Gash room and machine (what a stink), fo'c'sle, all the boats on port side (so Buccaneer and Swordfish), where my lad stands as a gunner with his GPMG and SA80 (which I got to play with alongside his baton, glock and body armour) a room with lots of CCTV screens and engine monitoring screens (but not the ops room) and as he was on duty I helped him check his allocated Breathing Apparatus was all in place and not tampered with.

He also took me to all the places for best phone coverage and where all the Warfare dept go to hide when they don't want to clean the boat decks!

I've got loads of pics to share...oh no hang on, I forget to take it! :thumbdown:
I like hearing about and seeing pictures of your lad. I kept the ones you posted before. He's looks like a good kid. It serves as a good reminder to all of us interested in military hardware that it means mothing without the guy or gal that operates it and that its him or her that's putting their life on the line for us. Always gives me a kind of fatherly feeling that's hard to explain.

The son of a good friend of mine joined the army a couple years ago and is based on the east coast in a tough unit with a fine history (I won't name it). He came home last month for Thanksgiving and dropped by for a chat. Really nice kid, just married, very polite and well spoken. He said he was being sent away for his first overseas assignment in the new year. Thinking it would be Korea or Germany, I said that must be exciting, where are you going? Syria. In that moment I knew about 1% of how his mom and dad would feel for the next couple of years.

Jake1992
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Jake1992 »

Ron5 wrote:
inch wrote:Well phillyj I'm going to say 4mts longer 2 MTRS wider and 3oz heavier lol :-),one day we might find out
I read in "someone who ought to know"s tweet yesterday (but I can't remember who) that PoW is 12 feet longer because of the changes for LPH duty plus detailed design changes made for ease of build. No mention of width or weight.
There’s been rumours going around for ages that she is slightly larger than QE with some even stating that her full weight is 72,000t odd compared to QEs 70,600t but one thing I can’t see is her being taller all due to the forth bridge, QE only just squeezes under with one radar mast down.

inch
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by inch »

The only reason I said 2 MTRS wider was because I Def remember captain j Kyd at the time in an interview on the bridge just as about to leave the builders and going to squeeze thru with inches to spare said it was tight with a vessel was 75mtrs wide ,but as we know we is 73mts wide so I'm just guessing he's read the brief and given the 75mts wide of pow ,and 4 MTRS from the lots of articles saying 284mtrs length as well as 280 for qe stated length ,yep weight I've no idea .but great too hear that phillyj a big thumbs up to you both

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bobp
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by bobp »

Nice hearing of your visit PhillyJ . I bet you are a proud dad at this time. I went on board QE when she was being built and a lot of areas where of limits. But I enjoyed what I saw. At that time was not allowed to take any pictures and there was so much to take in and so many decks and passages to get lost in. Anyhow hope your lad gets some quality time at home before her next trials.

PhillyJ
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by PhillyJ »

Thanks all, there were a lot of 'muggy' headed matelots wandering around today as apparently the Capt had popped in to the Ship & Castle where a number of them were meeting after the commissioning, he then put some money down for drinks as a thank you to them all and left. The Capt also stated in his thank you speech today that next year they will be out again in Feb for Sea trials and a visit to affiliated city of Liverpool is confirmed, sometime around Feb/March. Further sea trials in Autumn, before home for Christmas...also mention of Westlant21 for PWLS.

The one thing I noted whilst walking around is how friendly and approachable the officers were to all level of ratings, not saying there was not respect from AB's up but they actually asked how are you etcetc. Whilst walking through the maze of corridors and ladders an officer would often ask my nipper how he was doing, having a good day and I would assume he knew my Son...when I asked him who that was he said no idea! He has often said that it is a very happy ship, and to top it all off HRH The Prince of Wale, via a letter to the 1st Sea Lord, has expressed his thanks and commended the crew for the ceremony and advised that they can " Splice the mainbrace ". Unfortunately this will be carried out sometime in the New Year and not whilst I was there! :lol:

PhillyJ
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by PhillyJ »

Sorry for the multi updates, shut me up if I get too much!

I did notice walking around that now and again there were certain doors with a Stars and Stripes picture stating that there were certain things within these rooms that were also under US restrictions and therefore different T&C's for normal procedure, of all those I saw these rooms were all off limits to the general public.

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Ron5 »

PhillyJ wrote:Sorry for the multi updates, shut me up if I get too much!

I did notice walking around that now and again there were certain doors with a Stars and Stripes picture stating that there were certain things within these rooms that were also under US restrictions and therefore different T&C's for normal procedure, of all those I saw these rooms were all off limits to the general public.
They would be for the Jack Daniels :D

My pal flew F-8's off carriers during Vietnam, he said all pilots kept a bottle or two in their desks despite USN ships being dry. I'm sure you've all heard that when hooked up to heart rate monitors Navy Pilots showed more stress landing on the carriers than during combat.

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SKB
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by SKB »

Image
(andy peal @friedalive) 11th December 2019

PhillyJ
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by PhillyJ »

A few pics from the day, the bell is the one rescued from the KGv battleship PWLS (thanks to the NMRN for supplying it for the day), they have created an exact replica via 3D scanning and had it made from the original furnaces to keep on our PWLS whilst she is in servce.
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bobp
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by bobp »

PhillyJ wrote:A few pics from the day,
Its obvious who the lad looks like. You must be overflowing with pride after your day.

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by serge750 »

Really busy 2020 for both the carriers then... :clap: thanks savetheroyalnavy for the info



https://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/royal- ... 18-months/

Lord Jim
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Lord Jim »

Well that was quite an optimistic agenda laid out up to and including CSG 21, though the air group for the latter is decidedly underwhelming with 16 F-35 and 8 Merlins, plus any additional assets the USMC may wish to bring along.

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

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Lord Jim wrote:Well that was quite an optimistic agenda laid out up to and including CSG 21, though the air group for the latter is decidedly underwhelming with 16 F-35 and 8 Merlins, plus any additional assets the USMC may wish to bring along.
Why is it underwhelming?

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by abc123 »

Lord Jim wrote:Well that was quite an optimistic agenda laid out up to and including CSG 21, though the air group for the latter is decidedly underwhelming with 16 F-35 and 8 Merlins, plus any additional assets the USMC may wish to bring along.
No, 8 BRITISH F-35Bs is the underwhelming part.

( Mostly ) helicopter carriers... :thumbdown:
Fortune favors brave sir, said Carrot cheerfully.
What's her position about heavily armed, well prepared and overmanned armies?
Oh, noone's ever heard of Fortune favoring them, sir.
According to General Tacticus, it's because they favor themselves…

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SKB
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by SKB »


(ForcesTV) 12th December 2013
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall have attended the commissioning ceremony for HMS Prince of Wales. The aircraft carrier is the second Queen Elizabeth-class ship, after HMS Queen Elizabeth, and cost £3.1 billion. The Chaplain of the Fleet led the ceremony in Portsmouth.

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by SW1 »

It’s not underwhelming it’s reality rather than the fiction that’s been going round for years.

When us marines put this number of f35s to seat in the Pacific and elsewhere it’s considered a strategic statement why should we be any different.

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Jake1992 »

SW1 wrote:It’s not underwhelming it’s reality rather than the fiction that’s been going round for years.

When us marines put this number of f35s to seat in the Pacific and elsewhere it’s considered a strategic statement why should we be any different.
I think it’s seen as disappointing by most due to what the QE can put out when compared to a USMC LHD / LHA, 16 is pretty close to making them out but would only really 2/5 of what a QE at max could do.

I also think due to all the talk of her operating 20-24 in her first deployment most were thinking 20 odd would be normal with 12-14 helos as we built up our F35 fleet.

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Scimitar54 »

I believe that the 2 x Merlin Mk 4’s will also be on HMSQE, as it would be most improbable to have a company of Royal Marines on the carrier, and their operational transport on another vessel. An initial operational Air Wing of
c. 28 Aircraft is not too bad, as the manglers, maintainers, fuelers and armourers will be getting used to working in less space than they will have had previously. Just one more (leaning) step on the journey to having fuller hangars and flight decks, :mrgreen:

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Scimitar54 »

My apologies! I inadvertently missed the R out of “learning”.

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Ron5 »

Lord Jim wrote:Well that was quite an optimistic agenda laid out up to and including CSG 21, though the air group for the latter is decidedly underwhelming with 16 F-35 and 8 Merlins, plus any additional assets the USMC may wish to bring along.
Be fun if the Marines brought along some V-22's and they did some a2a refueling of both the F-35's and Merlins.

Maybe "fun" isn't the right word. You know what I mean. Informative maybe.

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