Angus Holt News

The Aircraft Carrier Alliance successfully lifted one of the final sections of the second Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier in Rosyth on Friday, January 8 following its arrival from Glasgow. The 750-metric-ton block was raised 25 meters in the air using the Goliath crane and placed on the deck of HMS Prince of Wales, bringing assembly work on the ship significantly closer to completion. This section to be assembled is known as the Aft Island and will control aircraft operations aboard HMS Prince of Wales.

The second MT30 Gas Turbine Alternator (GTA) has been installed into the U.K. Royal Navy’s latest aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, at Rosyth, the Aircraft Carrier Alliance reported. ‪Generating 36 megawatts (around 50,000 horsepower), the power-dense Rolls-Royce MT30 marine gas turbine is key for naval ships where high power occupying minimum space is essential.‬ Each 120-metric-ton GTA package consists of a GE supplied alternator coupled to a Rolls-Royce supplied MT30 Gas Turbine contained within an enclosure.

The final sections of the second Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier produced by Cammell Laird arrived at Babcock Rosyth Facilities in Fife on Thursday, September 3, following their voyage from Birkenhead. Center Block 4 is the longest of the upper sections of hull of HMS Prince of Wales, the second of two new aircraft carriers being constructed by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance. Comprised in two parts (rings C and D), it contains a mixture of aviation workshops, mission system compartments and training rooms.

The final section of HMS Queen Elizabeth, the first of two new aircraft carriers being built for the U.K. Royal Navy, has left BAE Systems’ shipyard at Scotstoun today to embark on a 600 mile journey to Rosyth. The Aft Island, also known as Upper Block 14, is the air traffic control tower of the ship and the center of all flight operations. Travelling around the north coast of Scotland, the block is scheduled to arrive into Rosyth on Thursday 20 June. Once the island has arrived all sections of the first of class HMS Queen Elizabeth will have been delivered. Angus Holt, Queen Elizabeth Class Block Delivery Director for BAE Systems, said, “The delivery of the Aft Island is a huge milestone for the aircraft carrier program and we are extremely proud to have achieved this.

The BAE Systems built Aft Island of the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier will be loaded onto a sea-going barge on June 11 before its journey from the company’s Scotstoun site to Rosyth. This is the last major section of the Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carrier and has been completed ahead of schedule by the team on the Clyde. The Aft Island is the Carrier’s air traffic control center. Angus Holt, Queen Elizabeth Class Block Delivery Director at BAE Systems Maritime - Naval Ships, will speak at the event. www.baesystems.com

In Glasgow, Scotland, workers moved out the biggest section of 'HMS Queen Elizabeth', the first of two new aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy. A team of 40 moved the 11,300 tonne aft section, known as Lower Block 04, across the specially reinforced tarmac at the yard in less than three hours using 450 remote controlled transporters. “Today marks the culmination of months of hard work and preparation and I am extremely proud of the team’s achievements in successfully loading out the aft section on time and built to an exceptional standard.

Dragon, the fourth Type 45 anti-air warfare destroyer built by BAE Systems for the Royal Navy, has set sail from the Clyde for the final time this week. Dragon set off from the company’s Scotstoun yard this morning, with a combined BAE Systems and Royal Navy crew, as she embarked on the journey to her new home port of Portsmouth. The vessel will be formally handed over to the Royal Navy at a ceremony on Wednesday 31 August. Despite the early start, around 100 employees came to watch as the ship they have worked on since in December 2005 made its final journey down the Clyde.