£35m contract allows assembly of Navy Super Carriers

uk MoD ^ | 11 feb 08 | uk MoD

[Rikstir]

The start of an investment project to modify the dockyard at Rosyth, in preparation for the assembly of the two Royal Navy super carriers was witnessed today, 11 February 2008, by Defence Secretary Des Browne.

The two 65,000 tonne aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, are to be constructed in sections in shipyards at Portsmouth and Barrow-in-Furness, Glasgow, with final assembly at Babcock's Rosyth in Scotland.

Des Browne witnessed the signing of a £35m contract today by Babcock Engineering Services with Glasgow-based subcontractors Edmund Nuttall Limited to modify the docks in order to accommodate the building of the carriers and widen its direct entrance.

[Rikstir]

I still love the old Invincible Class. Time to move on though...

[AzSteven]

Given the relative size of our country compared to yours and the difference in GDP and defence expenditure I would argue that these represent the best outside the US. No other nation besides the US, UK (and possibly China and Russia) are embarking on such an advanced carrier to take their navies into the 21st century.

It is said that the QE class is will embark as many combat aircraft as did Operation Granby in 1991. And as been noted by others here, composite structures will reduce the weight of the vessel to what it is proposed to be. If it were built 20+ years back the vessel would probably weigh 1,000,000 tonnes!

Oh, absolutely - these might not be as big as the Reagan, but they are going to pack a lot of punch onboard. I don't think, outside the US, anyone is even remotely close to anything like these. Russian and Chinese carriers, including the ones they have in planning stages, are much less impressive.

[Rikstir]

Its just galling that of the fleet of 3 we are to build, we are selling one of them to the Frogs!

Whoring out our tech and expertise now it seems...

[GreenLanternCorps]

Have the Brits ever had an angled deck?

They invented the angled deck. They used it until the retirement of HMS Ark Royal in 1978.

The Ark Royal carried the following:

12 Phantom FG MK.1s

14 Buccaneer S MK.2s

4 Gannet AEW Mk.3s

6 Sea King HAS Mk.1s

2 Wessex HU Mk.5s

1 Gannet COD MK.4

[Rinnwald]

Not entirely fair in that profile view. Invincible is shown above water only, while the CVF has the entire hull exposed. Makes the CVF look bigger because they’re not compared the same way.

[RonF]

Is the name referring to the present Sovereign or to the one who faced the Spanish Armada?

[BroJoeK]

Defense budgets percent of GDP (2001):

United States is 3.04 percent;
Britain, 2.50 percent;
Russia, 2.1 percent;
France, 1.96 percent;
Germany, 1.10 percent.

Today the US number is well over 4%.
Can’t say where the others stand today, but would guess not much different. US still carries the biggest load.

[Mr. Lucky]

Besides, Russia and China will always be 350 years or so behind the British Navy in tradition, reputation and skill.

[Rikstir]

yeah i saw that after the fact. neat little cut and paste job...

[Rikstir]

Good question. I cant give you a definitive answer, but I reckon its for our current monarch.

[Traveler59]

No other nation besides the US, UK (and possibly China and Russia) are embarking on such an advanced carrier to take their navies into the 21st century.

France has the 38,000t nuclear powered aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle, which I believe is now fully operational.

http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/gaulle/

-Traveler

[puppypusher]

Much smaller and much lighter. I think the Ronald Reagan is about Eighty Six thousand tons.

[Oztrich Boy]

Is the name referring to the present Sovereign or to the one who faced the Spanish Armada?

The present. The tradition is that the leap ship of the first new capital class a sovereigns reign carries the name of the sovereign

Victoria got two

King Edvard VII 1904 src=http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/images/hmskingedwardviisym43.jpg>

King George V 1912

The next king to get a ship would have been Edward VIII but the name came at the same time as the Abdication crisis - so - couldn't give it to him, or his eventual sucessor George VI, who wasn't annouced yet - George V got a repeat

(although HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Duke of York of the same class were named ref to Edward VIII and George VI respectively)

Elizabeth II should have got her ship in the 60s But a Labour government made withe the defence cuts

However Good Queen Bess of the Armada also got a ship back in WWI

[Oztrich Boy]

see above

[Oztrich Boy]

King Edvard VII 1904

[Rikstir]

great post pal. good info, good pics. cheers

[Rikstir]

Indeed the CdeG is excellent. The fact that it is nuclear powered however wont make it as technologically advanced as the QE Class. They will be a generation apart. Which is why the French are paying us to make one for their own fleet.

No disrespect to the CdeG, great looking ship. If someone can post a pic of it here, si vous plait?

[thundrey]

Ping..

[A.A. Cunningham]

I think they were for use when the Harrier was the seagoing jet of choice for the Brits.

Incorrect. Angled decks were being used by the Royal Navy when Phantoms, Sea Vixens and Buccaneers were the aircraft of choice.

[ARE SOLE]