HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier
Rosyth Dockyard, Scotland (assembly); HMNB Portsmouth (home port) · 2011–2019 · £6.1 billion (programme cost)
The judgement call
Account-gated at launchInitial government decision to convert to CATOBAR configuration, later reversed due to cost and delays. - Decision to bring into active service rather than mothball or sell, despite initial SDSR stating only one carrier was needed. - Experienced flooding and propeller shaft malfunction, leading to repairs and cancelled deployments.
Key engineering challenges
Assembly of 52 blocks from six different shipyards around the UK. - Integration of complex systems for STOVL aircraft operations (F-35B Lightning II). - Managing the size and draught of the vessel for navigation in the Firth of Forth and entry into Portsmouth. - Designing for flexibility to accommodate 250 Royal Marines and support attack helicopters and troop transports. - Rectifying significant flooding from the fire control system causing damage to electrical cabling. - Repairing external coupling malfunction on the starboard propeller shaft.
Project facts
- Client / owner
- Royal Navy
- Lead contractor
- Aircraft Carrier Alliance (BAE Systems, Babcock, Thales, UK Ministry of Defence)
- Lead designers
- —
- Project type
- new build
- Scale
- Displacement: Est. 80,600 tonnes (full load); Length: 284 m; Beam: 73 m overall; Aircraft capacity: 60; Troop capacity: 250 Royal Marines; Crew: 679
- Disciplines
- Naval architecture; marine engineering; electrical engineering; mechanical engineering; systems engineering
- Standards & frameworks
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Sources: Wikipedia: HMS Prince of Wales (R09) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Prince_of_Wales_(R09)) - Royal Navy: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carrier (https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/equipment/ships/queen-elizabeth-class)