As we wrote two days ago, the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales (R09) suffered a propeller shaft failure just after leaving the HMNB Portsmouth home base. The latest information suggests that the failure is relatively serious and the ship will have to enter the shipyard to be repaired in a dry dock. Interestingly, unofficial leaks indicate that the repair is likely to take place in Rotterdam.
Why is the British carrier to be repaired in the Netherlands? The main factor is the question of distance. The day before yesterday, Prince was anchored near the Isle of Wight, from where it is less than 450 kilometers to Rotterdam. The only British shipyard that could comprehensively take care of an aircraft carrier is the one in which it was built – Rosyth near Edinburgh, more than twice as far away. The UK Defense Journal service said that Prince is to go to Amsterdam, but there (unlike Rotterdam) there is no dock that is large enough.
The largest dry dock of Amsterdam is too small for HMS Prince of Wales. There are 3 large enough dry docks in Rotterdam however.
– Marineschepen (@marineschepen) August 30, 2022
Yesterday, Rear Admiral Steve Moorhouse, his former commander and now head of the department responsible for the development of the Royal Navy’s combat capability, arrived on board the Prince of Wales. Moorhouse confirmed that there was a failure and that the ship is not returning to Portsmouth for the time being, but has moved with the help of tugs to a quieter anchorage where the damage will be further investigated.
Rear Admiral Steve Moorhouse @smrmoorhouse updates on the situation with @HMSPWLS: “I’ve been to the ship today to see for myself what the issue is and how we in the Royal Navy can work together to make sure that the ship can successfully return to her tasking. ” pic.twitter.com/yU9ogHVQDt
– Royal Navy (@RoyalNavy) August 29, 2022
A preliminary examination by divers indicates that the right propeller struck the bottom (or some object at the bottom) on the way out of Portsmouth, and it was this impact that caused the propeller shaft to fail. This is in line with photos of an aircraft carrier going out to sea with only one propeller working. The failure had to take place at the last minute, after the ship was finally approved for the cruise to the other side of the Atlantic.
HMS Prince of Wales has broken down..who’s up for a push pic.twitter.com/g6CnfTFnQz
– Deborah Worboys (@ DeborahWorboys1) August 28, 2022
It is ironic that a fact recalled by the UK Defense Journal – this year Babcock received a contract worth 30 million pounds (165 million zlotys) for dry dock maintenance of both Queen Elizabeth aircraft carriers in Rosyth. The contract also covers urgent repairs such as the one needed now.
The big question at this point is how long will repairs take? However, it cannot be answered until the ship has entered a dry dock and has been subjected to a comprehensive examination. However, if the information about the introduction of the aircraft carrier to the shipyard in Amsterdam is confirmed, it means that the Royal Navy expects a fairly quick repair, which will allow the “Prince” to make a cruise to America with a relatively small delay. If the failure looked serious at this stage, it would make more sense to send him back to Rosyth, where shipbuilders are better equipped to look after such a unique vessel.
The Prince of Wales was to go on a four-month voyage to North America as part of the Westlant 22 mission. It was supposed to call at New York, Halifax, Canada, and at least one port in the Caribbean. The main goal of the expedition was a three-month series of exercises with the Americans in the field of improving the use of F-35B combat aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles. It is easy to understand that the Royal Navy attaches great importance to the implementation of these plans.
See also: C-Dome trials on the Magen corvette as a step towards sealing the Israeli Opel Opel
LPhot Bill Spurr / UK MOD © Crown copyright 2022
