HMS Queen Elizabeth 3 part series.

[MSS]

I for one cannot think of anything better than these mega projects that provide jobs for tens of thousands for tens of years, maintain a technological lead across a broad range of technologies and provide a measure of pride (at least for a significant proportion of the population).

We need more of these projects.

[brianw]

We went down to Pompey to watch her leave.
From our vantage point just to the east of the round tower at the entrance she was most impressive.
Pity that my camshaft sensor on the CDT decided to pack up when we got back to the car but hey ho all sorted now.

[Astraeus]

The main idiotic thing about our carriers was getting rid of the Harriers before a suitable alternative is combat ready.

As said before was certainly good for jobs and they look very Impressive indeed.


Let's hope the F35B proves to be the fantastic aircraft they are promising. However it would gave made much more sense to keep our Harriers until the F35Bs are fully combat ready. They are a million miles away from that.

Funnily enough the ship is I believe going stateside and getting some Harriers on soon...unfortunately US ones!

Pity

Chris

[jonc3725]

Originally Posted by Bogbrush82

I agree to a point, however not having an aircraft carrier is a severe handicap to any nation, So for me the biggest mistake was scrapping the Illustrious class carriers before the Big Lizzie was completed and battle ready.

Buying 44 F35's at the same time didn't help, as we could've had the F/18 instead, which is a proven machine and cheaper to buy.

Totally agree. When I was serving on Ocean we had 3 x CVS plus the LPH making 4 capable flat tops plus 2 LPDs, T22 Batch 3, T42s and all the T23s.
Now the Government have no flat tops to play with. One LPD, 13 T23 of which 4 are in refit and T45 which are broken. The demise of the CVS and harrier was criminal and to top it all the yanks still use Harriers. I susoect the CVS running costs were huge becsuse of the Olympus Gas turbines

Originally Posted by bazyerma

At 3.4Billion, its a lot cheaper that Tridents 55 plus billion replacement! But at least its not just hired from the Americans!

Yep thats the second worse decision by the RN. Most Nuclear capability can be launched from land nowadays ( god forbid anyone tries) but as a country we still want to play with the big boys. Cant say on here but people would be shocked at the amount of running hours on a nuke carrying boat. Pounds per hours at sea would be pathetic.

Still Im sure it will all come out in the wash and the powers that be know what their future force at sea will look like

[Borg Warner]

Originally Posted by Astraeus

The main idiotic thing about our carriers was getting rid of the Harriers before a suitable alternative is combat ready.

As said before was certainly good for jobs and they look very Impressive indeed.


Let's hope the F35B proves to be the fantastic aircraft they are promising. However it would gave made much more sense to keep our Harriers until the F35Bs are fully combat ready. They are a million miles away from that.

Funnily enough the ship is I believe going stateside and getting some Harriers on soon...unfortunately US ones!

Pity

Chris

QE's programme whilst on her trials:

Before crossing the Atlantic, the ship will embark more helicopters and conduct a few days of additional rotary wing flying trials in UK waters. She will then head to the eastern seaboard of the US which is likely to take around 10 days, depending on weather and the flying programme. When close to the US, the Merlin Mk4s will fly off Royal Marines to conduct a small demonstration assault landing.

QE’s is expected at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia in early September. She will unload Royal Marine equipment and take on test equipment required for the F-35 flight trials programme. While the crew get some time ashore, the ship is likely to be of a subject of great curiosity to the US military who have generously provided much support for the regeneration of UK carrier strike. Norfolk is home to six of the US Navy’s ten supercarriers and QE is a showcase for a radically different approach to aircraft carrier design.

The F-35 flight trials off the east coast will consist of two Developmental Testing periods (DT-01 and DT-02) which are scheduled to last around about 3-4 weeks each, with a break in between. The first F-35 landing on QE will probably be in the 3rd week of September. A historic occasion will be the ship’s arrival in New York sometime in October, which will attract considerable public attention in the US. QE will come to anchor with small boats used to ferry visitors and personnel to and from the ship.

More here:

https://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/hms...eres-the-plan/

[Borg Warner]

EXCITEMENT is ramping up both in the UK and overseas as HMS Queen Elizabeth approaches the historic first landing of Britain’s new stealth jet.

And with the £3.1bn aircraft carrier now in America, has HMS Queen Elizabeth just dropped a hint as to when the milestone occasion will happen? Possibly.

Last night the ship sent out a message to its 52,000 followers on Twitter which could indicate the landing might happen within the next week.

Although there has been no official confirmation from the Ministry of Defence, the timing does fit in with previous comments by officers on the warship, who hoped the landing would take place at the end of September.

The ship’s Twitter account posted: ‘Today the Fleet Commander @VAdmBenKey embarked. He will be residing with us for just under a week; only a routine visit from an Admiral we think, nothing special going on here! Lightning is forecast.’

The jet’s full name is the F-35B Lightning II.

It would be the first time in eight years that a jet has landed on the deck of a British aircraft carrier.

HMS Queen Elizabeth is understood to be heading towards the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, in Maryland, close to Washington DC, after having stopped off at the naval base in Norfolk, Virginia, earlier this week.


The Portsmouth-based warship is expected to conduct trials of the multimillion-pound F-35B for several weeks before eventually returning to Britain in December.

[Rich in Vancouver]

Originally Posted by Rickoshea

Changed a bit since I served in the late 60s and early 70s.
Finally I spotted that they were using soft white girlie toilet paper. What was wrong with the old hard shinny stuff that had "government Property" printed on every sheet?

Ba humbug!

Loved the quote about the toilet paper Rickoshea!
I served in the Canadian Army in the 70's. I went on an exchange to Scotland and we got a big kick out of the wax paper TP with Government Property printed on it. I still have a 'liberated' roll somewhere!
The German TP was even worse, it was like sandpaper. They must have been trying to toughen up their soldiers!

[rab60bit]

Originally Posted by Borg Warner

EXCITEMENT is ramping up both in the UK and overseas as HMS Queen Elizabeth approaches the historic first landing of Britain’s new stealth jet.

And with the £3.1bn aircraft carrier now in America, has HMS Queen Elizabeth just dropped a hint as to when the milestone occasion will happen? Possibly.

Last night the ship sent out a message to its 52,000 followers on Twitter which could indicate the landing might happen within the next week.

Although there has been no official confirmation from the Ministry of Defence, the timing does fit in with previous comments by officers on the warship, who hoped the landing would take place at the end of September.

The ship’s Twitter account posted: ‘Today the Fleet Commander @VAdmBenKey embarked. He will be residing with us for just under a week; only a routine visit from an Admiral we think, nothing special going on here! Lightning is forecast.’

The jet’s full name is the F-35B Lightning II.

It would be the first time in eight years that a jet has landed on the deck of a British aircraft carrier.

HMS Queen Elizabeth is understood to be heading towards the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, in Maryland, close to Washington DC, after having stopped off at the naval base in Norfolk, Virginia, earlier this week.


The Portsmouth-based warship is expected to conduct trials of the multimillion-pound F-35B for several weeks before eventually returning to Britain in December.

I'm a keen supporter of our forces and defence, nothing like it to project power despite our much reduced status to deliver such.
This particular branch of pantomime is likened to watching paint dry. If we are to do this right someone has to face up to facts that it cannot be done on the cheap with a budget that is shaped by what we might have left over in the cash box!!
I can propose a very cheap and effective resolution to our proposed 2 ship strategy (should it ever come about) - paint really big bullseyes on the flight deck and flanks of each ship.
Not enough - aircraft, support and picket ships, trained or in training personnel, money money and money!!
We are just kidding ourselves at the moment - do it properly or get off the merry go round, why risk our brave boys with cockeyed political policies. Build two more QE's and ramp up the protection screen force otherwise all you have got are two sitting ducks.
An army of less than 80K, tanks that are mothballed or part stripped for parts, restrictions on ammunition of any sort, stretched fast reaction aircraft resources with too many aircraft off-line on maintenance etc. etc. Sorry, I know there are a lot of patriots out there in RoverMG land but this ain't good and you/we know it.

[Borg Warner]

Would folks please keep this on topic; if you want to comment on how the armed services are being managed please start your own thread.

With respect thank you.

[jonc3725]

Originally Posted by rab60bit

I'm a keen supporter of our forces and defence, nothing like it to project power despite our much reduced status to deliver such.
This particular branch of pantomime is likened to watching paint dry. If we are to do this right someone has to face up to facts that it cannot be done on the cheap with a budget that is shaped by what we might have left over in the cash box!!
I can propose a very cheap and effective resolution to our proposed 2 ship strategy (should it ever come about) - paint really big bullseyes on the flight deck and flanks of each ship.
Not enough - aircraft, support and picket ships, trained or in training personnel, money money and money!!
We are just kidding ourselves at the moment - do it properly or get off the merry go round, why risk our brave boys with cockeyed political policies. Build two more QE's and ramp up the protection screen force otherwise all you have got are two sitting ducks.
An army of less than 80K, tanks that are mothballed or part stripped for parts, restrictions on ammunition of any sort, stretched fast reaction aircraft resources with too many aircraft off-line on maintenance etc. etc. Sorry, I know there are a lot of patriots out there in RoverMG land but this ain't good and you/we know it.

Hear hear and im ex forces. Both carriers are a joke at the moment as we cant raise one carrier group.

Dont ask the mod about the new escorts (Type 26) The lack of new destroyers at sea (Type 45)or the new GP ships (type 31e) or the cost of the aircraft for the carriers. Dont even get me started on the manning.

Brilliant bits of engineering but no substance.

Well said that man