David Sivills-McCann
22nd July 2024 at 11:55am
HMS Queen Elizabeth is heading out to sea after spending the last few months undergoing repair work at Rosyth Dockyard.
The 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier travelled down the Firth of Forth following the completion of work to fix her propeller shaft.
Repair work to her starboard propellor shaft was needed after a malfunction prevented her from taking part in Exercise Steadfast Defender.
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The ship has not yet resumed duties and will conduct trials before returning home to Portsmouth naval base, Forces News understands.
It was a delicate operation getting HMS Queen Elizabeth down the Firth of Forth as she had to wait for low tide to help her get under the three bridges that span the opening of the river.
People gathered by the waterside to catch a glimpse of the carrier and get some pictures of the impressive sight.
Her sister ship HMS Prince of Wales had to take her place while the repair work to her starboard propellor shaft was carried out.
The aircraft carrier returned home to Portsmouth in March after taking part in Ex Steadfast Defender – Nato’s biggest exercise since the Cold War.
During the Nato training, HMS Prince of Wales was joined by more than 30 ships, four submarines, multiple aircraft – from maritime patrol aircraft to F-35 Lightning jets – and more than 20,000 personnel from nations including Canada, Denmark, France and Spain.