Aircraft Carrier Alliance News

Babcock International Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hyundai Heavy Industries Co Ltd (HHI), to focus on the Republic of Korea’s CVX Aircraft Carrier Program opportunity.John Howie, Babcock Group’s Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, signed the MoU on behalf of the company with Mr. Sam-Hyun Ka, CEO, Korean Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering (KSOE), the holding company of HHI at the Babcock Korea Limited facility in Busan. The agreement brings the two parties closer together…

HMS Prince of Wales, the second of the U.K.’s Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, has recently completed a successful sea trial in Scottish waters.The ships are the largest ever built for the Royal Navy and the carriers are powered by GE’s energy-efficient, integrated full-electric propulsion system.As part of the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, GE’s Power Conversion business has provided the HV Distribution system, HV Drives and Propulsion Motors as well as the Electrical Power Control and Management system.GE also supplied the HV Generators to support generating power for the entire carrier. Out of the 110 megawatts (MW) of power running through the system…

Britain's newest aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales sails into home port of Portsmouth Naval Base for the first time.The £3.1 billion warship left Rosyth dockyard, Scotland, where it was built in September before undergoing eight weeks of sea trials.The ship’s arrival into Portsmouth represents the culmination of 16 years of work by the ACA – a unique alliance relationship between BAE Systems, Babcock, Thales, and the UK Ministry of Defence.More than 10,000 people across the UK have been involved in the program to deliver the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, with six British shipbuilding yards across the country playing a vital role in the ships’ design and construction.Sir Simon Lister…

Britain's newest aircraft carrier has sailed out of Rosyth dockyard for the first time. The GBP3bln, 65000 ton HMS Prince of Wales will sit at anchor in the River Forth for around 2-7 days following departure from the dockyard to complete Initial Sea Safety Training.The vessel is the sister ship of HMS Queen Elizabeth."Cammell Laird is proud to have played a key role in the construction of this magnificent vessel – one of the most powerful surface warships ever constructed in the UK," said a press release from the British shipbuilding company.Following Cammell Laird’s successful completion of nine units for the first Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier, the company’s block building expertise was called upon once again in 2013.

Britain’s biggest ever warship, the new 3.1 billion pound ($4.2 billion) aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, has a leak and needs repairs, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on Tuesday. The 65,000-tonne ship is hailed as Britain’s most advanced military vessel and was only commissioned by the queen two weeks ago but it has a problem with a shaft seal that was identified during sea trials, the MoD said. “Sea trials are precisely for finding manageable teething problems like this and rectifying them,” a Royal Navy spokesman said.

The U.K.’s newest aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth was commissioned into the Royal Navy fleet this morning by Her Majesty The Queen. Serving as the ship's Lady Sponsor, The Queen addressed guests before the ship's Commanding Officer, Captain Jerry Kyd, and read the commissioning warrant at a ceremony in Portsmouth Naval Base. The ceremony, attended by Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson and military chiefs, marked the first time the Queen has visited the new warship since the formal naming ceremony in Rosyth in July 2014.

The U.K. Royal Navy’s new 65,000-metric-ton aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, the largest warship ever to be built in Britain, has been undergoing sea trials since setting sail from Scotland's Rosyth dockyard in June, and is now set to enter her new home in Portsmouth in around two weeks. The warship will be the latest in a long line of famous Royal Navy ships to call Portsmouth home, though the exact date of the historic moment is to be determined depending on weather conditions. The window for entry will open August 17, with her arrival expected no later than the August 22.

Liverpool City Region (UK) shipyard Cammell Laird has announced it will be honoring its illustrious naval and military heritage next month by being headline sponsor of the UK’s Armed Forces Day (AFD). The AFD celebrations will take place in Liverpool this year on June 24, with more than 1,000 serving personnel, veterans, cadets and marching bands taking part in a parade followed by a full program of events near the city’s iconic waterfront. Cammell Laird CEO John Syvret, CBE,…

The second of the largest warships ever built for the U.K. Royal Navy, the Queen Elizabeth Class carrier HMS Prince of Wales, was given the royal seal of approval when HRH The Prince of Wales, (or Duke of Rothesay, as he is referred to in Scotland), visited Babcock’s Rosyth Facilities and signaled for the final section to be lowered into place, shipbuilder BAE Systems announced. The 570-metric-ton block – known as Sponson 11 – was the final section of the 280-meter-long warship to be manufactured.

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 final section of aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales began its delivery voyage from Glasgow to Rosyth today, 10 weeks ahead of schedule. As part of the the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier program, newbuilds HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales will be the Royal Navy’s largest and most advanced ever warships and were constructed in blocks in different shipyards throughout the U.K. The final section being delivered, known as the Aft Island, weighs 750 metric tons and will control aircraft operations aboard the second aircraft carrier, 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.

U.K. Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has produced power from her onboard diesel generators (DGs) for the first time, marking a significant stage in the program. Firing up the diesel generators for the first time in Rosyth was Philip Dunne, Minister of State for Defense Procurement, who took part in a short ceremony and was accompanied by Rear Admiral Henry Parker representing the Ministry of Defense on the Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA), and Sir Peter Gershon, the Independent Chairman of the ACA.

The Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA), which is building HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales in shipyards across the U.K., has opened a visitor center in Rosyth Dockyard. The facility, which has a view of both HMS Queen Elizabeth across the non-tidal basin and the Forth bridges behind it, has been created to allow small groups of visitors to learn more about the Alliance and the construction of the two largest warships ever built for the Royal Navy. Featuring an upstairs…

The Aircraft Carrier Alliance has completed the installation of the first MT30 Gas Turbine Alternator (GTA) package into the Royal Navy’s latest aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, at Babcock’s Rosyth shipyard in Scotland. The Rolls-Royce MT30 is a 36 megawatt (around 50,000 horsepower) Marine Gas Turbine. 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. Two MT30s are installed in each ship and will provide two thirds of the 109 megawatts needed to power the 65…

Cammell Laird has completed its first center blocks for a second aircraft carrier set to become the centerpiece of Britain’s military capability. The Birkenhead marine and engineering services company has fabricated and outfitted two blocks for the new Prince of Wales aircraft carrier, which are now being transported by sea to the Rosyth shipyard in Scotland. Construction of the blocks began in July 2013 and has involved a workforce of 250 including contractors. The two latest blocks, known as CB02 Ring F and Ring G, are 40 meters wide, 15 meters deep and 10 meters tall.

Construction of HMS Prince of Wales, the second of two new aircraft carriers for the U.K. Royal Navy, has moved forward with the docking of two of the ship’s largest hull sections – Lower Block 02 and Lower Block 03. The movement of the blocks into the dock at Rosyth marks the beginning of the ship’s assembly phase and comes only days after Prime Minister David Cameron announced that HMS Prince of Wales will enter into service, ensuring that the U.K. will always have one aircraft carrier available.

A huge section of hull for HMS Prince of Wales, the second Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier, has today begun its delivery voyage from HM Naval Base Portsmouth – the future home of the Queen Elizabeth Class. Mick Ord, Managing Director at BAE Systems Naval Ships, said, “This is a significant milestone for the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier program and a particularly proud one for the team in Portsmouth whose contribution to delivering the nation’s flagships has been outstanding.

A huge section of HMS Prince of Wales has arrived in Rosyth as the dockyard prepares for final assembly of the second Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier, shipbuilder BAE systems announced. The 8,000-metric-ton hull section, known as Lower Block 03, completed the 600-mile journey around the north coast of Scotland last night, after departing BAE Systems in Glasgow on Monday, July 28. The block weighs more than an entire Type 45 destroyer and forms the mid-section of the aircraft carrier’s hull from the keel to the hangar deck.

A huge section of hull for HMS Prince of Wales, the second aircraft carrier being delivered to the Royal Navy, has today departed BAE Systems in Glasgow on a 600-mile journey to Rosyth where final assembly of the ship will take place. The 8,000-metric-ton section, known as Lower Block 03, weighs more than an entire Type 45 destroyer and forms the mid-section of the aircraft carrier’s hull from the keel to the hangar deck. The block, transported by seagoing barge, is scheduled to arrive in Rosyth on Saturday, August 2 where work is currently underway to prepare the dock for the final assembly of HMS Prince of Wales which will begin in September.

A timelapse video of HMS Queen Elizabeth floating out of her dock for the first time is now available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0ZjQz9vEKw. The float out of the 65,000-metric-ton aircraft carrier took place last Thursday, July 17, at the drydock in Rosyth near Edinburgh. Teams will now continue to outfit the ship and steadily bring her systems to life in preparation for sea trials in 2016. The dock she vacates will be used for final assembly of her sister ship, HMS PPrince of Wales, which will begin in September.

The U.K.'s largest ever warship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, has today been floated out of the dock in which she was assembled. In an operation that started earlier this week, the drydock in Rosyth near Edinburgh was flooded for the first time to allow the 65,000-metric-ton aircraft carrier to float. It then took three hours this morning to carefully maneuver HMS Queen Elizabeth out of the dock with just two meters clearance at either side and then berth her alongside a nearby jetty.