Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

[SDL]

thought the second one was going to be mothballed once built?

[happyslapper]

I get the feeling that it's more of an intention at the moment, we'll have to wait to see any firm policy decision.

Let's not jump on the hysterical band-wagon and call it carrier-sharing - it's not. It's remarkably unremarkable, and not too dissimilar to what we already do with regards cross-training, staggering deployments of capital ships, etc.. However, Joe Bloggs who reads the morning paper doesn't have a clue about that.

thought the second one was going to be mothballed once built?

No, the Government have said that the ''most likely scenario'' is that PoW will be placed into extended readiness, and will rotate with QE's maintenance cycles etc.. That is precisely the same situation as the current carriers rotating through the strike role while the other is either in maintenance, or operating in a less demanding role.
Either way, we still will have an aircraft carrier availabity of around 600 days per year, between the two units.

[Jdam1]

Cost of aircraft carrier contracts revealed

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-11698851

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk...6908-22693697/

I wonder if the press is faking ignorance in order have a eye grabing headline but a lot of that cost has to do with R&D and im sure they know that.

Osborne really doesnt like these carriers.

[happyslapper]

...and BAE's lawyers are probably the saviour of Britain's defence for the next 50 years.

[Jdam1]

Any reason why the catapult isn’t on the right, to allow take off and landing at the same time ?

[xav]

Any reason why the catapult isn’t on the right, to allow take off and landing at the same time ?

Yeah i am curious too, as all French carriers had/have that " flaw " (well there is probably a good reason for it and maybe it is not a flaw)

[NovocastrianUK]

HMS Queen Elizabeth bell is presented to the Royal Navy


The bell will be housed in the officers' mess of the new HMS Queen Elizabeth

The bell from the original Dreadnought battleship, HMS Queen Elizabeth has been presented to the Navy by Chatham Dockyard Historical Society.

The bell will return to active duty on the aircraft carrier of the same name, currently being built at Rosyth. The return of trophies associated with ships of the same name is a long-established navy routine. The new HMS Queen Elizabeth will be the largest ship ever operated by the Royal Navy. The first warship to bear the name HMS Queen Elizabeth was launched on 16 October 1913, the lead ship of an important and innovative class of battleships which were powered entirely by oil.

HMS Queen Elizabeth served with distinction in both World Wars, receiving battle honours at Dardanelles in 1915, Crete in 1941, Burma in 1944-5, and Sabang and East Indies in 1945. Seriously damaged by an Italian underwater attack in 1941, her repairs in the USA were funded by a donation by the Baltic Exchange, which was presented with the ship's bell on her de-commissioning in 1948. After many years in the Baltic Exchange, the bell was passed to the Chatham Dockyard Historical Society for safe keeping and display. There will be a further formal presentation of the bell in Rosyth on 18 November 2010. At 65,000 tons, the new HMS Queen Elizabeth will be the powerful surface warship ever constructed in the UK. With an expected service life of up to 50 year.

Article: BBC News

[DPM_Sheep]

Getting hold of PoW's Bell might be a bit dificult...

[james21]

Getting hold of PoW's Bell might be a bit dificult...

Pow's bell was raised in 2002 and is in the Merseyside Maritime Museum, would they use it though?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...S_POW_Bell.JPG

[happyslapper]

Yeah i am curious too, as all French carriers had/have that " flaw " (well there is probably a good reason for it and maybe it is not a flaw)

Any reason why the catapult isn’t on the right, to allow take off and landing at the same time ?

It's common on alot of carrier designs, off the top of my head I can think of the Centaur Class, Majestic Class, Forrestals, Foch, and many more.

It shouldn't impact flying operations because firstly we lean towards cyclic ops, which means we'll launch aircraft in a group, and recover them in a group. Even if a recovering aircraft were to catch the last wire (i'm told we're going down to 3 wires on QE) it still leaves plenty of room. If it bolts, you'd have to be the worst pilot in the world to fail to get airborne by in time, and then career right into an aircraft waiting to launch.

[DPM_Sheep]

Pow's bell was raised in 2002 and is in the Merseyside Maritime Museum, would they use it though?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...S_POW_Bell.JPG

You learn something new every day.

Actually, I kinda hope they do use it.

[SlowMan]

Yeah i am curious too, as all French carriers had/have that " flaw " (well there is probably a good reason for it and maybe it is not a flaw)

Queen Elizabeth class is a French design, thus the French "flaw".

Joke aside, it takes displacement to put simultanous launch/recovery capability into the design, and earlier British/French carrier designs just didn't have the displacement to make this work.

[happyslapper]

Queen Elizabeth class is a French design, thus the French "flaw".

Joke aside, it takes displacement to put simultanous launch/recovery capability into the design, and earlier British/French carrier designs just didn't have the displacement to make this work.

That's not actually true, as soon as angled decks were installed, we began to use simulataneous shoots and traps. That doesn't mean that in the same instant one a/c touches down, another a/c shoots off the bow. (not true about French designs either)

Anyway, here's some pics to keep your appetites whetted...


Diesel generator being installed


One of QE's huge rudders undergoing construction

[Suicaine]

Any reason why the catapult isn’t on the right, to allow take off and landing at the same time ?

The most logical answer I can think of would be Deck parking space, IIRC even the early 300m+ drawings had a Port bow and Waist cats only. The foreward island is in the way but I would doubt it makes a blind bit of difference anyway, 2 cats are sufficient and the extra space is more important than aircraft launches interfering with recovery.

[happyslapper]

Confirmation that QE will be built to full CATOBAR spec (a final decision to do likewise on PoW is likely, but pending).

The short delay to the first carrier, to allow it to be fitted with ‘cats and traps’, means that when it comes into service in 2019 it will be equipped with the hugely capable carrier variant of Joint Strike Fighter.

MoD Link

This represents a 2-3 year delay on the serice entry of QE (she was due to be handed over to the MoD in 2016, and enter service either late that year, or in 2017).

This means we are without a full-time carrier strike capability for 8 years. With Illustrious now to remain in service until QE is commissioned, we have a theoretical fixed wing naval capability until mid-2011.