A ceremony is underway to mark the official naming of the Royal Navy’s second state of the art aircraft carrier.
The naming is being carried out by the Duchess of Cornwall, the ship’s sponsor, with a bottle of whisky to be smashed against HMS Prince of Wales at the ceremony today.
The event is being held in Rosyth Dockyard, Fife, where the 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier is being fitted out.
Charles and Camilla – known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay when in Scotland – are attending the event along with senior politicians, naval officers and veterans of the HMS Prince of Wales which was sunk during the Second World War.
A military band marches past HMS Prince of Wales before a naming ceremony for the aircraft carrier at Rosyth Dockyard in Fife, Scotland today
Britain’s second new Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales is docked for its official naming ceremony
Charles and Camilla (pictured yesterday arriving for the 10th anniversary garden party and dog show at Dumfries House) are known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay when in Scotland. They are attending the event along with senior politicians, naval officers and veterans of the HMS Prince of Wales which was sunk during the Second World War
Work on the under-construction ship has been halted for the naval tradition which dates back thousands of years and combines a celebration with a solemn blessing.
Overall, six shipyards around the UK – Appledore, Birkenhead, Govan, Portsmouth, Rosyth and Tyne – have been involved in building various parts of the carriers
Those behind the project, which costs an estimated £6.2 billion overall, say the QE Class will be the centrepiece of Britain’s naval capability with an aircraft carrier permanently available to be deployed anywhere in the world in military or humanitarian action
The two vessels, described the Royal Navy as ‘four acres of sovereign territory deployable across the globe’, are the largest and most advanced ever built for Britain. Pictured: A graphic of the Queen Elizabeth’s capabilities. The vessel is identical to HMS Prince of Wales
Sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth was the first aircraft carrier to be built in the programme and set sail from Rosyth this summer.
HMS Prince of Wales is set to follow in 2019 and those working on the 280-metre carrier say lessons have been learned in the construction of the first ship which will make the second ‘more efficient’.
The pair are termed Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers and are being built by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA), a partnership of BAE Systems, Babcock, Thales and the Ministry of Defence.
First Sea Lord, Admiral Phillip Jones, tweeted: ‘Tomorrow, we name the second of our new carriers HMS Prince of Wales – a moment of profound strategic significance for the UK’
Overall, six shipyards around the UK – Appledore, Birkenhead, Govan, Portsmouth, Rosyth and Tyne – have been involved in building various parts of the carriers.
Those behind the project, which costs an estimated £6.2 billion overall, say the QE Class will be the centrepiece of Britain’s naval capability with an aircraft carrier permanently available to be deployed anywhere in the world in military or humanitarian action.
Remarkably the massive HMS Prince of Wales is expected to be 3,000 tonnes heavier than its predecessor
Both ships are fitted with two 48,000 horse power Rolls Royce Marine Trent turbine engines and have a range of around 10,000 nautical miles
They are also capable of carrying 36 modern F35B Lightning II jets, the world’s first supersonic STOVL (Short Take Off and Vertical Landing) aircraft
Stephen Moorhouse was named the first seagoing captain of HMS Prince of Wales this week and will take over from captain Ian Groom, currently the Senior Naval Officer on board the ship during the carrier’s build programme.
Captain Moorhouse is a former Commanding Officer of HMS Ocean and HMS Lancaster.
The 44-year-old said: ‘Seeing our sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth make her debut in Portsmouth last month was an amazing sight and I look forward to one day bringing HMS Prince of Wales home to the same warm welcome.
‘Until then the ship’s company in Rosyth will continue to grow and they have much to be proud of in all the work they have done so far, working with our civilian industry partners to bring this ship to life.’
The former HMS Prince of Wales (above) went down with 327 men on board, and left hundreds more clinging to wreckage. Some were attacked and maimed by sharks during an agonising wait to be rescued
Sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth (pictured) was the first aircraft carrier to be built in the programme and set sail from Rosyth this summer