HMS Prince of Wales (R09)
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Prince of Wales on the first test drive
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The HMS Prince of Wales is the second new aircraft carrier of the Queen Elizabeth class of the Royal Navy . The ship was put into service in the same configuration as her sister ship , the Queen Elizabeth , and together with her it replaces the three Invincible- class aircraft carriers .
construction
The Prince of Wales was initially created in the STOVL design. However, the entire construction is designed in such a way that safety ropes and launch catapults can easily be retrofitted for use as a CTOL aircraft carrier . In October 2010 the government even announced that the carrier would be built in the CTOL configuration; however, the plans were rejected in 2012.
history
The aircraft carrier was built in 2011 in a shipyard in Rosyth, Scotland . At the end of 2016, around 80% of the ship's hull had already been completed. The ship swam for the first time on December 21, 2017. It set sail for the first time on September 19, 2019 and called at its home port of Portsmouth for the first time on November 16 of that year.
Full operational readiness is expected for 2023.
Planes
As a replacement for the Hawker Siddeley Harrier is the UK new combat aircraft of type F-35B Lightning II (STOVL) purchase. The aircraft carrier is said to be regularly occupied with just twelve of these jets and a few helicopters such as the Merlin for the transport of personnel and material.
In principle, however, the composition of the Carrier Air Wing (CVW) depends on the respective mission. A maximum of 36 Lightnings can be embarked as a strike carrier. If more transport or combat helicopters are required, up to 40 helicopters, for example Chinook , Merlin or Apache , can be taken on board.
Surname
After the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal (R07) was decommissioned in 2011, the traditional ship name Ark Royal is currently not used in the Royal Navy. The intended as a name Prince of Wales suggested that the under construction Prince of Wales after the completion in Ark Royal rename. On September 8, 2017, the ship was finally christened by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall , in the name originally intended.
See also
Web links
- Official website of the Royal Navy ( Memento of March 25, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ^ First Sea Lord welcomes aircraft carrier decision. Ministry of Defense , July 26, 2007, archived from the original on March 12, 2010 ; Retrieved December 3, 2015 .
- ↑ Navy carriers '£ 1bn over budget'. BBC, June 29, 2009; archived from the original on December 3, 2015 ; Retrieved December 3, 2015 .
- ↑ Mise à l'eau du second porte-avions britannique ( French ) December 22, 2017. Accessed December 27, 2017.
- ^ Aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales commissioned into Royal Navy fleet, UK Defense Journal, December 10, 2019
- ↑ Aircraft Carriers: Written question - 33852. Retrieved on October 26, 2016 (English).
- ↑ Britain's second new carrier sets sail, Royal Navy Homepage, September 19, 2019
- ↑ HMS Prince of Wales arrives in Portsmouth, Janes, November 19, 2019
- ↑ UK aircraft carrier Prince of Wales to go into service. Retrieved October 26, 2016 (English).
- ↑ Thomas Harding: Prince Charles 'saves Ark Royal'. The Telegraph, May 2, 2011, accessed October 26, 2016 .
- ^ Baptême du second porte-avions britannique. September 11, 2017, accessed on September 11, 2017 (French).