Going back to CVF....
As you might expect, the construction and and shipping of parts of the bow for HMS
Queen Elizabeth has recieved coverage in the local newspaper, the
North Devon Journal. Rightly there is a great deal of local pride in the fact that our local yard can produce work of this quality.
Aircraft carrier bow sections leave Appledore Shipyard
Yard told to take pride in its part in history
New aircraft carrier starts to take shape
The arrival of the bow sections in Rosyth is also confirmed by the Royal Navy website -
here:
A hugely significant milestone was reached on Wednesday as the two modules that make up the first block of the Queen Elizabeth, the first of the new Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers sailed into Scotland and under the iconic Forth Bridges following it’s journey from Babcock’s ship yard in Appledore, north Devon.
The completion of the two modules; the bulbous bow, which is similar in size to the front of a submarine and the upper bow section will collectively weigh around 400 tonnes, which is equivalent to almost 40 double decker buses and when positioned end to end will reach over 50 metres in length.
The ships will be constructed at six ship yards around the UK and each block will be transported to Rosyth for final assembly in the Number One Dock, which is the largest dry dock in the UK. Work is already underway at ship yards in Devon, Glasgow, Portsmouth, Rosyth and Tyneside, with Merseyside starting work on the Queen Elizabeth this summer.
Progress is also being made with parts of the propulsion system - see
here.
Rolls-Royce has completed two significant milestones for the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carriers, Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales, with completion of the first propeller and the successful testing of the vessels’ first MT30 gas turbine.
On a more sobering note, I recently heard a senior RN Officer comment that the decisions being made in the next year or so will affect the destiny of the UK for decades to come - if not longer. This is no time for short termism.