Stunning moment the Royal Navy’s Big Lizzie squeezes through a narrow harbour

  • Massive warship squeezed through a narrow harbour in Hampshire this morning after another trial at sea 
  • Incredible images show HMS Queen Elizabeth dwarfing tugboats that were helping manoeuvre into port
  •  £3.1billion super ship first launched in December and is named after a dreadnought for the First World War

This is the awesome moment the Royal Navy’s largest ever warship squeezed through a narrow harbour to return home.

HMS Queen Elizabeth is the largest aircraft carrier ever commissioned by the Navy and weighs in at a whopping 65,000 tons.

The jewel of the Royal Navy sailed into the Hampshire port at around 9am this morning, after another trial at sea.

Incredible images show the massive ship dwarfing tugboats that were helping it manoeuvre into port.

HMS Queen Elizabeth is the largest aircraft carrier ever commissioned by the Navy and weighs in at a whopping 65,000 tons

The jewel of the Royal Navy sailed into the Hampshire port at around 9am this morning, after another trial at sea. Incredible images show the massive ship dwarfing tugboats that were helping it manoeuvre into port

The jewel of the Royal Navy sailed into the Hampshire port at around 9am this morning, after another trial at sea. Incredible images show the massive ship dwarfing tugboats that were helping it manoeuvre into port

The massive £3.1bn super ship was first launched in December and was named after a super-dreadnought from the First World War

The massive £3.1bn super ship was first launched in December and was named after a super-dreadnought from the First World War

She has returned from her latest series of work-ups and trials, so crew can get used to the ship and stretch their sea legs.

Experts believe the ship is expected to remain in Portsmouth for resupply for a couple of weeks, until being deployed to the US later this summer.

The £3.1bn super ship was first launched in December and was named after a super-dreadnought from the First World War.

The ship is the lead ship of the Queen Elizabeth class of aircraft carriers, the largest warships ever built for the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom and capable of carrying up to 60 aircraft

The ship is the lead ship of the Queen Elizabeth class of aircraft carriers, the largest warships ever built for the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom and capable of carrying up to 60 aircraft

Experts believe the ship is expected to remain in Portsmouth for resupply for a couple of weeks, until being deployed to the US later this summer

Experts believe the ship is expected to remain in Portsmouth for resupply for a couple of weeks, until being deployed to the US later this summer

Britain’s armed forces are massively bolstered by the massive threat posed to any enemies by the colossal aircraft carrier – which can carry up to 60 planes.

It is staffed by around 650 crew and can travel more than half way around the world before needing to be refuelled.

Her sister ship is named HMS Prince of Wales, and is the eighth to bear that name. 

Inside Britain’s most powerful warship, HMS Queen Elizabeth

At 280 metres long, with a lifespan of half a century and a flight deck of four acres, HMS Queen Elizabeth is Britain’s largest and most powerful warship ever built.

Here are the facts and figures behind the vessel which was officially commissioned into the Royal Navy December 7, 2017

HMS Queen Elizabeth, pictured,  weighs some 65,000 tonnes and has a top speed of 25 knots and a four-acre flight deck

HMS Queen Elizabeth, pictured, weighs some 65,000 tonnes and has a top speed of 25 knots and a four-acre flight deck

The vessel has a crew of 700, although that will increase to 1,600 when she has a full complement of F-35B jets  

The vessel has a crew of 700, although that will increase to 1,600 when she has a full complement of F-35B jets  

The Commanding Officer is Captain Jerry Kyd, pictured, who is responsible for guiding Queen Elizabeth through her sea trials 

The Commanding Officer is Captain Jerry Kyd, pictured, who is responsible for guiding Queen Elizabeth through her sea trials 

  • The aircraft carrier weighs 65,000 tonnes and has a top speed in excess of 25 knots.
  • A number of ship building yards around the country were involved in the build – these include Govan and Scotstoun in Glasgow, Appledore in Devon, Cammell Laird in Liverpool, A&P on the Tyne in Newcastle and Portsmouth.
  • A total of 10,000 people worked on construction of the ship, made up in sections at yards around the UK and transported to Rosyth, Fife, where it was assembled.
  • It is the second ship in the Royal Navy to be named Queen Elizabeth.
  • The ship has a crew of around 700, that will increase to 1,600 when a full complement of F-35B jets and Crowsnest helicopters are embarked.
  • There are 364,000 metres of pipes inside the ship, and from keel to masthead she measures 56 metres, four metres more than Niagara Falls.
  • Facilities onboard include a chapel, a medical centre and 12-bed ward, staffed with GPs, a nurse and medical assistants, as well as a dentist and dental nurse.
  • There are also five gyms on the warship which include a cardiovascular suite, two free weight rooms and a boxing gym.
  • Regular fitness circuit sessions and sporting activities such as basketball and tug of war are held in the hangar and on the flight deck, with weights and other items stored inside the flight deck ramp.
  • Captain Jerry Kyd said his favourite part of the ship was the laundry, which he called ‘huge and bespokely built’.
  • There are five galleys on the warship which is where the food is cooked and those on board eat their meals everyday. This includes two main galleys, the bridge mess and an aircrew refreshment bar.
  • The distribution network on board manages enough energy to power 30,000 kettles or 5,500 family homes.
  • Its flight deck is 280 metres long and 70 metres wide, enough space for three football pitches.
  •  The entire ship’s company of 700 can be served a meal within 90 minutes, 45 minutes when at action stations.
  • Recreational spaces enjoyed by the crew feature televisions and sofas, as well as popular board games including the traditional Royal Navy game of Uckers.
  • Each of the two aircraft lifts on HMS Queen Elizabeth can move two fighter jets from the hangar to the flight deck in 60 seconds.
  • The warship has a range of 8,000 to 10,000 nautical miles, and has two propellers – each weighing 33 tonnes and with a combined 80MW output of power – enough to run 1,000 family cars or 50 high speed trains. 

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