![]() 'The Government must be up front about the timeframe and cost of repairs, and ensure the UK can meet its commitments to Nato and our allies.' 'HMS Prince of Wales is a Nato flagship and ministers cannot allow ongoing problems to undermine the ability of our armed forces to take part in important joint exercises. ![]() Speaking to MailOnline, Labour's Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey said: 'At a time when threats are rising and the number of navy ships are set to fall further, we need them at sea not in dock. You don't build huge warships and put all your eggs into one basket for her to just sit alongside.Top brass won’t be happy.'Ī spokesman for the Royal Navy insisted the mighty warship 'will return to operations as soon as possible'.īut the situation has led to demands that the government is 'up front' about how long Prince of Wales will be out of action for. Lieutenant Commander Mike Critchley said: 'This is obviously embarrassing. The fiasco has left senior figures in the Royal Navy frustrated, according to a former naval commander. The £3.2bn warship, the newest of Britain's two aircraft carriers, was supposed to sail to America but she suffered a serious fault with her starboard shaft which damaged the ship so severely that top brass were forced to call off its trip to the USA Military sources revealed they are not sure exactly how long it will take to repair the vessel, with insiders suggesting it could take 'months not weeks' to get the ship back to full working order. The revelation about the Portsmouth-based vessel was made by Conservative defence minister Baroness Goldie. The news comes as Queen Elizabeth sailed back to Portsmouth after taking the place of its sister ship on the diplomatic visit to the United States.Ī former naval commander said the length of time the mighty vessel had spent at sea was 'embarrassing' and added: 'Top brass won’t be happy.' Now it can be revealed that since being commissioned into the Royal Navy, in December 2019, the Nato flagship has spent more than two years - 749 days - docked, spending just 267 days at sea. One of two vessels of her class, she is touted by military chiefs as being one of the most powerful vessels in the world.īut the sophisticated £3.2billion leviathan has been plagued by technical gremlins with her latest humiliating problem forcing the woe-stricken supercarrier into a lengthy period of repairs in Rosyth, Scotland, after she broke down on her way to America. ![]() ![]() HMS Prince of Wales is the nation's newest aircraft carrier. Britain's biggest warship ever made has spent almost three-quarters of her life with the Royal Navy languishing in harbour instead of protecting the nation at sea, MailOnline can today reveal. ![]()
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