RN Aircraft Carriers: HMS Prince of Wales

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HMS Prince of Wales – Shaft failure investigation results


On 3 April 2023, the Ministry of Defence submitted a letter to the House of Commons Defence Committee, providing details of the non-statutory investigation into the propulsion issues that affected HMS Prince of Wales.
The Minister of State, James Cartlidge, confirmed the conclusion of the investigation, which began after the ship suffered a starboard shaft coupling failure upon sailing from Portsmouth in August 2022.

The letter outlined that the investigation covered various aspects of the ship’s design, build, acceptance phases, and operations during Fleet time. The inquiry identified one causal factor as the misalignment of the starboard shaft from the build stage and the incorrect installation of key components. Several contributory factors led to this misalignment and the subsequent incorrect assessment of the starboard shaft and couplings’ performance.

“The causal factor identified in this instance was that PWLS starboard shaft was misaligned from build, and that the incorrect installation of key components resulted in the defect suffered.”

Sea Trials Reportedly Showed No Issues
According to the letter, during the ship’s sea trials, both shafts were extensively tested over several weeks and thousands of nautical miles. Vibration readings remained within limits at all times, and no issues, conditions of class, or actionable items were transferred into service from the Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA) to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) in 2019 at Vessel Acceptance.

“During PWLS’ sea trials, both shafts were extensively tested over several weeks and thousands of nautical miles in the Northern North Sea and UK South Coast Exercise Areas. Vibration readings remained within limits at all times. Accordingly, no issues, conditions of class or actionable items were transferred into service from the Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA) to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) in 2019 at Vessel Acceptance.”

Letter States Limited Operational Impact
The letter highlighted that following the August 2022 coupling failure, an alignment issue was also identified with the port shaft. Rectification work was initiated and is expected to be completed in time for the ship to commence her operational programme this autumn. It also mentioned that HMS Queen Elizabeth checked installation alignment readings, detecting no abnormalities. The operational impact of the defects on HMS Prince of Wales has been limited, with the Royal Navy delivering its Carrier commitments to NATO.

“The operational impact has been limited. HMS QNLZ undertook PWLS’s operational tasking from September to December 2022, after which she took over, as scheduled, as the Very High Readiness Strike Carrier. At all times the RN has delivered its Carrier commitments to NATO.”

Financial Cost and Future Actions Outlined in the Letter
The letter estimates the financial cost of the defect to be approximately £25 million. It notes that responsibility for payment has not yet been established and further comment on the matter would be inappropriate at this stage. The Department has reportedly conducted a preliminary examination of the investigation and the events that contributed to the defect, directing an urgent review.

“The financial cost is estimated to be approximately £25 million. Responsibility for payment has not yet been established therefore it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”

Source UKDJ

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Aircraft carrier to return to duty by Autumn

During a recent parliamentary session, Member of Parliament for Dunfermline and West Fife Douglas Chapman raised concerns about the status of HMS Prince of Wales, the £3 billion asset currently in Rosyth for repairs.
Allegedly, the naval ship has been utilised for spare parts, leading to questions about its future operational readiness.
Continues at - https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/aircraf ... by-autumn/

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Royal Navy parade in Bristol after largest warship receives Freedom of the City

See - https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bris ... es-8471166 - LFT

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Col Phil Kelly RM, Head of Carrier Strike & Maritime Aviation said at #CNE2023

RN is planning to flight test the General Atomics Mojave short STOL unmanned air system (UAS) from HMSPWLS during the #Westlant23 deployment (off the US coast) in November.

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HMS PWLS is preparing to sail after repairs in Rosyth.

Will return to Portsmouth to complete planned maintenance before heading to the U.S.for flying trials later this yr.
MoD officials quoted repair cost yesterday c£25M - funded from Navy budget as warranty options deemed poor VfM.
Source - Tweet dated 22nd June.

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R09 HMS Prince of Wales seen from a drone on 27/06/23 at her Babcock Rosyth dry dock (where the carrier was assembled originally).

The repairs to the carrier starboard prop shaft are now complete and the ship is being prepared for sea again sometime later in July and her return to Portsmouth.

Incidentally, the blue shed to the left is Babcock's T31 Frigate build facility within which the first 2 of the 5 RN ships are under construction - HMS Venturer and HMS Active, A small hull section of one of them can be seen near the shadow of the big crane too.

Courtesy of Guthrie Aerial photography and Ed Looochay

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Navy Lookout

HMS Prince of Wales is expected to leave dry dock in Rosyth this week (subject to weather & tidal windows) and return to Portsmouth ahead of deployment later this year.

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HMS Prince of Wales heading back to sea this week

Aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales is set to sail from Rosyth Dockyard this week following a long period of repairs, quelling rumours of the ship being turned into spare parts or being scrapped.

After suffering significant mechanical issues in August 2022, the aircraft carrier had been docked in Rosyth for repairs since October 2022.

The damage to the vessel, including a failed external coupling connecting the outer propeller shaft to the propulsion motors and superficial damage to the rudder, had halted its exercise schedule.

However, the Ministry of Defence confirmed in May that the rumours of the vessel being cannibalised or mothballed were untrue and that the aircraft carrier was set to be back in full service by autumn 2023.

In anticipation of this momentous departure from Rosyth, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has issued restrictions on the airspace above the Firth of Forth. These restrictions, put in place in collaboration with Police Scotland and the Department for Transport, will apply to unmanned aircraft, which will not be allowed to fly below 1000 FT AMSL within certain areas on two key dates: July 19 and July 24, 2023.

For details see - https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/hms-pri ... cZMQ28jggo

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Britain's biggest warship HMS PWLS is gearing up for renewed operations after 9 months of engineering repairs and systems upgrades.

The carrier left Rosyth dockyard and is waiting for the right conditions to pass under the Forth bridges.
See - https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-l ... es-departs

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HMS Prince of Wales leaves dry dock today as repairs are completed

After nine months of undergoing repairs, following a serious defect with her starboard propeller shaft, HMS Prince of Wales was floated out of dry dock in Rosyth and onto the river Forth today.

Babcock has been largely responsible for the shaft repairs under a 10-year support agreement signed in 2022. The specific cost of the repair was reportedly £25 Million and paid for from the RN’s budget as warranty cover for this type of work was not deemed good value for money at the time when the carriers were originally built.

In parallel BAE Systems have carried out previously-planned capability insertion work that would otherwise have been done in Portsmouth. While in Rosyth, the Ship’s Company maintained their training levels either onboard the carrier or by making use of training simulators ashore such as at HMS Sultan and HMS Collingwood. They have also supported recruitment and STEM events in the area, hosted NATO delegates and VIPs, taken part in civic events including Remembrance Parades in Edinburgh and Liverpool, Freedom of the City in Bristol, and assisted Border Force personnel during strikes over Christmas and Easter.
Continues at - https://www.navylookout.com/hms-prince- ... nJBp4d4Zgk