HMS Queen Elizabeth – Royal Navy Aircraft Carrier
Along with her escort group, HMS Queen Elizabeth is this month leaving UK waters for her maiden overseas deployment. Following exercises in the Mediterranean with the French aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle, she will transit the Suez Canal with visits and exercises planned to include 40 countries including India, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. She will also engage in freedom of navigation exercises in the South China Sea.
- Built by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, Rosyth Dockyard
- Ordered in May 2008
- Christened July 2014
- Commissioned December 2017
- LOA 280m
- Beam 39m at the waterline, 73 m overall
- Displacement 65,000 MT
- Propulsion: GE integrated electric propulsion powered by 2 Rolls Royce 36MW gas turbines
- Speed 32 knots
- Range 10,000 miles
- Complement 679 officers and crew with additional accommodation for 250 marines
- Sister ship HMS Prince of Wales
- Project cost (2 vessels) GBP 6 million
- HMS Queen Elizabeth is equipped with the F35B Lightning II aircraft which are specifically adapted to carrier operations. She also carries a range of attack, troop carrying and rescue helicopters.
For her 2021 deployment, Queen Elizabeth will sail with the Type 45 Destroyers HMS Defender and HMS Diamond, the Type 23 Frigates HMS Kent and HMS Richmond, Royal Fleet Auxiliaries RFA Fort Victoria and RFA Tidespring, the Dutch Frigate HNLMS Evertsen, the American Destroyer USS The Sullivans and an unnamed British Astute Class nuclear submarine.
HMS Queen Elizabeth with escort group during 2020 exercises
During the 28-week deployment, ships from the group will engage in more than 70 engagements, including an exercise marking the 50th anniversary of the Five Power Defence Arrangements with Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.
Sister ship HMS Prince of Wales is currently undertaking extensive sea trials and is expected to be ready for front-line service in 2023.
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