HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier
Rosyth Dockyard, Scotland (assembly); HMNB Portsmouth (home port) · 2009–2020 · £6.1 billion (programme cost)
The judgement call
Account-gated at launchPolitical decision in December 2008 to slow production, delaying delivery and adding £1.56 billion to the cost. - Use of two superstructures (islands) for redundancy in navigation/ship operations and flight control/aerial operations. - Extensive survey of the Firth of Forth required due to outdated data for safe passage. - Initial sea trials revealed technical issues, delaying delivery. - Propeller shaft seal leak identified after commissioning, deemed not serious enough to halt planned programme.
Key engineering challenges
Assembly of nine large blocks from six different shipyards into a single vessel. - Integration of complex systems for V/STOL 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 large troop transports.
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 Queen Elizabeth (R08) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Queen_Elizabeth_(R08)) - Forces News: HMS Queen Elizabeth: All you need to know about the mighty... (https://www.forcesnews.com/news/hms-queen-elizabeth-all-you-need-know-about-britains-aircraft-carrier)