Royal Navy 2 new aircraft carriers

[30knots]

What is the latest on these vessels ?

[Karl Heidenreich]

As far as I kown: contract was signed on 25 July 2007. Queen Elizabeth is due to be in service in 2014 and PoW for 2016. Hope both aren´t late to miss some new party...

[RF]

Be aware that the plans surrounding these ships and indeed the future structure of the RN are subject to constant political interferance and change, particulary as elements in the British Labour Party and eleswhere think that these new carriers are ''a waste of money....''

[paulcadogan]

Well, construction on the new QE has been officially begun by HRH Princess Anne.

See link to the RN website:

http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/operations- ... hip-begins

Paul

[Karl Heidenreich]

OK, here comes a stupid question: why two towers? A conning one and an air operations one? Looks like a futuristic Lexington...

[RF]

This is likely to be for a whole host of reasons, and much of that detail comes under the secrets list.......

[Bgile]

OK, here comes a stupid question: why two towers? A conning one and an air operations one? Looks like a futuristic Lexington...

Yes.

[paulcadogan]

If you click the links on the left of the article there's lots of info and some interesting reading including the history of ships with the names QE and PoW. I didn't know WW2 PoW had so many predecessors and the battleship QE is the only ship ever to have borne that full name in the RN.

You are right, Karl, about the division of the islands. You're not too bad after all!

Curious though that the Brits still seem to be satisfied with lower numbers of aircraft compared to the US...
40 on 65,000 tonnes vs Nimitz class' 90 on 90,000.

Compare the WW2 Illustrious class first group (36 on 23,000 tons) to the Yorktowns (85 on 19,800 tons) - though we all know why this was.

Also the QE's seemingly will be pretty slow for supercarriers - 25 knots?? Or might that be deception with their real capability secret?!

Paul

[Gary]

Hi Paul.

Actually this will technically be the first ship Named Queen Elizabeth because it is named after the current English Queen.
The famous 15 inch battleship Queen Elizabeth was obviously named after Elizabeth I

As for Prince of Wales, I just hope it doesnt have the same bad luck that seemed to tar its predecessor

[paulcadogan]

Not sure I see your point Gary. I'd think the name honours both Queens by leaving off the numeral.

When the battleship was named there was had been only one Queen named Elizabeth so no need for a numeral.

Remember the WW2 battleship KG5 was to have been King George VI but the King asked that it be named in honour of his father so she ended up King George V. So it follows that if the new carrier is being named for the current Queen, she should be Queen Elizabeth II.

Paul

[RF]

Curious though that the Brits still seem to be satisfied with lower numbers of aircraft compared to the US...
40 on 65,000 tonnes vs Nimitz class' 90 on 90,000.

Also the QE's seemingly will be pretty slow for supercarriers - 25 knots?? Or might that be deception with their real capability secret?!

Paul

I believe that the size differential is due partly to cost containment and a slightly different role of the RN to that of the US Navy. There are arguments in Britain over whether the carriers being built are really necessary. Building to the US scale pitches such argument into sharper focus.

Also I would be surprised if the two carriers weren't capable of doing more than 25 knots.

[rocketcrab]

I certainly hope that these two ships are actually built. On another site this morning, however, I read that with anticipated delays in the F-35 program the two ships could be completed, but there won't be aircraft to outfit them with. The Sea Harriers are expected to be withdrawn from service within the next five or six years, and extending their operational lives would be very costly.

[RF]

The ships are under construction, the completion dates remain unclear (here I mean actual completion dates, not the pronouncements of our Labour Government). Now started I think our politicians will see the project through - as they did with Trident.