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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| HMS Queen Elizabeth due to set sail from Rosyth for sea trials | HMS Queen Elizabeth due to set sail from Rosyth for sea trials |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| The Royal Navy's new aircraft carrier is due to set sail for the first time later from the Rosyth dockyard in Fife. | The Royal Navy's new aircraft carrier is due to set sail for the first time later from the Rosyth dockyard in Fife. |
| HMS Queen Elizabeth - one of two new carriers being built in the yard at a cost of more than £6bn - is to begin sea trials. | HMS Queen Elizabeth - one of two new carriers being built in the yard at a cost of more than £6bn - is to begin sea trials. |
| She is the largest warship ever built for the Royal Navy. Her flightdeck alone is the size of three football pitches. | She is the largest warship ever built for the Royal Navy. Her flightdeck alone is the size of three football pitches. |
| Once in service she can operate with a crew of 1,000 and 40 aircraft. | Once in service she can operate with a crew of 1,000 and 40 aircraft. |
| Tight manoeuvres | Tight manoeuvres |
| The 65,000 tonne warship is the Royal Navy's first aircraft carrier since HMS Ark Royal was scrapped in 2010. | The 65,000 tonne warship is the Royal Navy's first aircraft carrier since HMS Ark Royal was scrapped in 2010. |
| Eleven tugs will be needed to manoeuvre her out of the dock at Rosyth. | Eleven tugs will be needed to manoeuvre her out of the dock at Rosyth. |
| The ship will just about squeeze through the narrow entrance into the estuary. | The ship will just about squeeze through the narrow entrance into the estuary. |
| Once there she will start her engines and wait for low tide to go under the Forth bridges. | Once there she will start her engines and wait for low tide to go under the Forth bridges. |
| She will have to lower a mast to make it through with just a few metres to spare. | She will have to lower a mast to make it through with just a few metres to spare. |
| Commanding officer Captain Jerry Kydd said the ship was important for Britain's reputation as a naval power. | Commanding officer Captain Jerry Kydd said the ship was important for Britain's reputation as a naval power. |
| "I think there are very few capabilities, by any country, that are as symbolic as a carrier strike capability," he added. | "I think there are very few capabilities, by any country, that are as symbolic as a carrier strike capability," he added. |
| "Submarines you can't see, but these are very visible symbols of power and power projection." | "Submarines you can't see, but these are very visible symbols of power and power projection." |
| The start of sea trials follows warnings that technical issues and personnel shortages could delay the deployment of the aircraft carrier. | |
| The National Audit Office said in March the project was entering a "critical phase", with many risks to manage. | |
| The Ministry of Defence acknowledged "challenges" but said it was committed to being fully operational by 2026. | |
| 'Russian military interest' | |
| The technical issues mean the forthcoming sea trials are three months behind schedule. | |
| The NAO predicted it would not be operational by 2020, as had been promised by the MoD. | |
| The BBC's defence correspondent Jonathan Beale said that if all went according to plan with the latest developments, HMS Queen Elizabeth would be sailing toward open waters on Monday evening. | |
| He said the Royal Navy expected Russia's military to take an interest while the warship was being tested in the North Sea. | He said the Royal Navy expected Russia's military to take an interest while the warship was being tested in the North Sea. |
| It will be several years before HMS Queen Elizabeth is fully operational with jets on board. | It will be several years before HMS Queen Elizabeth is fully operational with jets on board. |