Posted on 10/25/2015 8:13:37 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
The decision to put an RAF officer who has never served at sea in charge of the Royal Navy's £6.2billion aircraft carrier project has been described as 'barking mad'.
Former Navy chief Lord West of Spithead claims the appointment of Air Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier will 'make Britain and international laughing stock'.
Sir Hillier will be responsible for the two new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers - the largest British warships ever built, designed to maintain security for the UK and overseas.
The systems of HMS Queen Elizabeth, the first of the two carriers, are now being tested and in 2016 the ship will be handed over to the Royal Navy for Sea trials.
It is expected to come into service in 2012. The second, HMS Prince of Wales, is currently under construction.
Sir Hillier will also be responsible for more than 20 F-35 jets and Merlin helicopters.
Aircraft carrier: The systems of HMS Queen Elizabeth, the first of the two carriers, are now being tested
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3288413/Officer-charge-Royal-Navy-s-new-6-2bn-aircraft-carriers-RAF-man-never-served-sea.html#ixzz3papddwlQ Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Lord Nelson is spinning in his grave.
What a flustercluck.
Squandered investments in outmoded capital ships that can never survive the attack of flocks of seagull drones. Less than 150 cm drones each packed with 1kg of C4 plastique, brought to target by submarine launched cruise missiles 1,000 miles from target and directed to target by satellite. Those big ships can’t be defended and are death traps for their crews.
Sir Joseph.
Now landsmen all, whoever you may be,
If you want to rise to the top of the tree,
If your soul isn’t fettered to an office stool,
Be careful to be guided by this golden rule.
Chorus.
Be careful to be guided by this golden rule.
Sir Joseph.
Stick close to your desks and never go to sea,
And you all may be rulers of the Queen’s Navee!
“Patience” is also very funny.
“When I was a lad, I served a term
“As office boy to an attorneys’ firm...
Proving once again that truth is always stranger than fiction.
Whoever designed that British carrier must have started out designing Chinese junks. All it needs are battened sails and a dragon motif.
ya gotta be kiddin me...
that should go nicely with the planes they don't have to launch from them either
I was just going to write the same thing. They'll be able to land a heck of a lot of helicopters on those things because they'll never get delivery of the jets.
You had me at Spithead.
and at the rate they're cutting back, they could prolly land all they have left in inventory
... but the two carriers are good payoff to the Scottish (and other UK) shipbuilder unions...
Who needs planes? The pilots and crew aren’t in unions...:^)
Better an RAF pilot who has never commanded a ship than a RN captain who knows nothing about aircraft. Look up the sinking of the carrier HMS Glorious and the incredible stupidity of its last captain, Guy D’Oyly-Hughes. He wouldn’t let all its boilers be let and ready to produce steam, or let its pilots fly local reconnaissance missions, or even post lookouts, in broad daylight in waters known to have German surface warships.
I’ve just finished reading several books on the WWII war in the Pacific. It was stated that a Captain of a carrier could not be given the command unless he was a pilot who had served as leader of an Air Wing. It seemed like a good rule then. I agree, though, that serving as a commander of a ship would also be appropriate.
Putting an airman in charge is about the same thing....the F-35.
The ships are not even tested yet, but are already undergoing modifications required by one thing....the F-35B vs F-35C.
No, they will not have enough F-35's to equip their squadrons, but the new plan is....bring in the Marines.
Yup, the US ByGod Marines will base squadrons of F-35B's on UK carriers.
oh yeah, THAT should be fun... separate Wardrooms and Goat Lockers???
wait, strike that, Marines don't have Goat Lockers
>>>that should go nicely with the planes they don’t have to launch from them either<<<
They’ll end up buying Migs.
So? We have a woman who has never flown an airplane in charge of the Pacific Air Forces.
I don’t see the problem having a pilot in charge of a chip.
Never mind the lesbians and queers we have leading the DoD.
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