HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier

HMS Queen Elizabeth was ordered on May 20, 2008, with the shipbuilding contract (for both units) signed in Portsmouth on July 3. The two-ship order was publicly announced on July 25, 2007, by Desmond Henry Browne (Baron Browne of Ladyton), the UK’s Secretary of State for Defence from 2006 to 2008.

Initially, the project’s budget was GBP 4.085 billion (~USD 8.4B / EUR 6B) for both units, with the first planned to enter service in July 2015. However, due to the 2008 financial crisis, construction slowed, the first ship’s delivery was postponed (to May 2016), and GBP 1.56B was added to the budget.

• By March 2010, the project’s total budget increased to GBP 5.9B.
• In November 2013, the two-ship building contract was renegotiated to GBP 6.2B (USD 10.5B).
• In May 2015, the UK’s MOD/Ministry of Defence paid ~GBP 3.12B for the program, including ~GBP 1.925B to BAE Systems and ~GBP 1.194B to Babcock International.

The project was supervised by Rear Admiral Henry Hardyman Parker (born 1963), MOD’s DE&S/Defence Equipment & Support Director of Ship Acquisition. In 2012-2013 he was the Controller of the Navy and in 2013 was appointed MOD’s Director (Carrier Strike).

HMS Queen Elizabeth’s construction officially started with the keel-laying ceremony on July 7, 2009. She was christened on July 4 and officially launched/floated out from drydock on July 17, 2014.

The QE warship’s motto is Semper Eadem (“Always the Same”)—a Latin phrase first used by Queen Anne Boleyn (1501-1536, Queen of England between 1533-36) and later by Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603, Queen of England and Ireland between 1558-1603).

The first sea trials (handling and speed tests) were conducted in June 2017. The first aircraft landed on the ship on July 3. Her first bunkering stop was in Invergordon (for fueling and provisioning), where hull inspections were also carried out. Queen Elizabeth arrived at homeport HMNB Portsmouth on August 16, berthing at Princess Royal Jetty. The second sea trials were conducted October 30–November 21. The official commissioning was on December 7. The vessel was initially equipped with 14x F-35 jets and 120x British personnel.

All the largest sections were built in Portsmouth. Two of the main lower blocks (LB01 and LB02 / combined weight 6000 tons) were assembled on June 30, 2011. Lower Block 02 is 66 ft / 20 m high and 230 ft / 70 m long. Lower Block 03 (weight 8000 tons) was completed in Glasgow (Govan shipyard) and barged from Glasgow to Rosyth (a 600-mi / 970-km, 4-day voyage) on August 16–20, 2011. Block 04 (weight 11,000 tons) left Govan Shipyard on October 28, 2012, and arrived at Rosyth Dockyard on November 21.

Next YouTube video shows how the new UK aircraft carriers are being built (assembled, actually) by fitting blocks together to create both hull and superstructure. It also features absolute silence, which is likely intentional—to sharpen concentration ;)

HMS Queen Elizabeth construction milestones (2013)

The ship’s forward and aft islands were constructed at BAE Portsmouth and attached to the flight deck, respectively, in March and June 2013, while the flight deck’s ski jump was mounted in November.

On January 29, the first of two giant gas turbine engines was moved onto the ship.

On February 7, the forward island bridge tower (fully fitted out and painted, weight 680 tons) left Portsmouth on a barge bound for Rosyth (600-mi voyage). This section alone has 37 mi / 60 km of cables and 3101 pipes inside, and it took 16 months to build.

On April 15, Block SP08 aft was lifted and fitted at Rosyth.

On June 16, the aft island tower left BAE Scotstoun shipyard bound for Rosyth. On June 25, BAE Systems was contracted (GBP 5.5M) to deliver and install the VTMS (Vessel Traffic Management System).

On October 3, in Rosyth the flight deck was completed, with two giant sponsons (500 tons each) fixed into place.

On November 11, the ski ramp was completed. The ramp helps the F-35 jets get airborne/off the flight deck.

On November 28, the main radar (weight 8.4 tons) was added on top of the forward island tower.

On January 2, 2014, at Pax River, a Navy test pilot tested a kit to be used for moving the F-35B Lightning II stealth jets around the hangars. The new equipment (ESHA—“Electric Shipboard Handler”) was tested at Naval Air Station Patuxent River (~60 mi outside Washington DC USA). The new GBP 120 million stealth fighter replaced the Harrier jets and is three times heavier than the British aircraft. At the time, the UK owned 3x F-35Bs.

On January 23, 2014, US aircraft carrier senior personnel (US Navy and Marine Corps) visited HMS Queen Elizabeth at Rosyth, meeting representatives of ACA and touring the ship under construction. The list of Americans included VA Nora Tyson (aircraft carrier commander), VA David Buss (Naval Air Forces), LTG Robert Schmidle (Marine Corps Deputy, Aviation).

Next YouTube video shows the “ground view” perspective, with all the crane moves, of the new UK aircraft carriers’ construction process.

UK aircraft carriers builders

Both QE-class warships (Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales) were assembled at Rosyth Dockyard and built by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance—a 2003-founded joint venture between the UK’s Ministry of Defence and BAE Systems, Babcock International, and Thales Group. The Ministry of Defence acted as both member and customer.

For the CVF project the website AircraftCarrierAlliance.co.uk (now defunct) was created, where general information plus regular updates (on the vessels’ construction) and related news were published. Across the program’s supply chain, 700+ different businesses were involved.

Over 51 million man-hours were spent in the vessels’ design and construction, with ~17,000 people involved. Each warship is assembled from ~17 million parts. Pipes’ total length is 226 mi / 364 km. Electrical cables’ total length is 155,340 mi / 250,000 km. Optical cables’ total length is 4,970 mi / 8,000 km. Around 11,000 people worked at the construction sites, including ~3,000 at Rosyth Shipyard.

Most of the construction work was done at Rosyth Dockyard (owned by Babcock Marine Ltd), Govan Shipyard (owned by BAE Systems plc), plus four other yards—Hebburn Shipyard (A&P Tyne Ltd), Appledore Shipbuilders, Cammell Laird (founded 1828), and HMNB Portsmouth (Her Majesty’s Naval Base, one of the UK’s three operating Royal Navy bases—together with HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport).

Babcock (BabcockInternational.com; construction sites Appledore and Rosyth) is a UK-based company with four main divisions—three for UK operations (Marine and Technology, Defence and Security, Support Services) and one International (for the Middle East/Africa). Babcock’s Marine division is the major support partner to the Royal Navy (with over 75% share in the annual maintenance/refit of the RN’s surface ships).

BAE Systems (BaeSystems.com; construction sites Glasgow, Portsmouth, Cammell Laird, Birkenhead) is a global corporation and provider of defense and security products (cyber services, military support, mission-critical electronic systems, protection equipment, and more), with well over 100,000 employees worldwide (the majority in the USA and UK). Reported sales of GBP 22.4B (US$36.2B).

Thales Group UK (ThalesGroup.com) is a global company specializing in the technology markets for Aerospace, Space, Defence, Security, and Ground Transportation. Thales Group has 67,000+ employees (in 56 countries) and global revenue ~GBP 11.5 billion.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence (gov.uk/government/organizations/ministry-of-defence) is a ministerial department, supported by 30 agencies/public bodies, working on defense/armed forces, national security, and foreign affairs.

A&P Group (ap-group.co.uk; construction site Hebburn) is the UK’s largest ship repair/conversion company, with three huge shipyards (Hebburn, Middlesbrough, Falmouth).

Engines, power, propulsion

The vessel’s powerplant includes CODLAG (combined diesel-electric and gas turbine propulsion), two 36 MW Rolls-Royce turbines, two “Wartsila 16V38” diesels (16-cylinder, with 11.6 MW generators), two “Wartsila 12V38” diesels (12-cylinder, with 8.7 MW generators)—both models with turbochargers—one “Wartsila 12V200” (2 MW emergency diesel generator set), two propeller shafts (each with 2x Alstom 15-phase electric motors at 150 rpm; total power 80 MW; output 95,000 shp).

The ship’s main diesel-generator sets (Wartsila 38) supply 40 MW of the total 112.6 MW, with the remainder generated by the two gas turbines. The ship is also fitted with a Wartsila MBR200N (Membrane BioReactor), an advanced wastewater (grey- and black-water) processing system based on biological degradation and membrane separation. Wartsila MBR200N produces high-quality discharge without adding or generating hazardous chemicals.

Rolls-Royce Marine gas turbines

Both QE-class UK aircraft carriers have the most powerful marine gas turbines in the world. HMS Queen Elizabeth’s power output is 109 MW (total, without the emergency and auxiliary engines). This impressive power generation capability is based on two 120-ton Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbines.

Each of the ship’s two MT30 gas turbines (first produced in 2002) generates 36 MW—enough to power a small town. Both turbines provide power for the two propellers, weapons, sensors, command systems, and the ship’s low-voltage requirements. The MT30 turbine was engineered to meet the needs of both naval ships and commercial marine vessels. Its naval applications include frigates, destroyers, and aircraft carriers. Key features include:

• compact size (15 ft / 4.5 m in length)
• lightweight (total module weight as a set is 77 tons)
• great flexibility in ship design, ideal for newbuilds and fast-turnaround maintenance programs
• full authority digital control
• fully integrated alarm, monitoring, and control, with its own integral fire protection system

In 2012, Rolls-Royce Marine repackaged the MT30 turbine so it would fit into smaller ships. The company offered the MT30 to the Royal Navy for the CODLOG system in the Type 26 frigates (construction started in 2015). The MT30 design is based on the Rolls-Royce Trent 800 aero engine, which achieved a 44% share of Boeing’s 777 programs.

Wartsila 38 diesel engines

Both QE-class aircraft carriers’ propulsion systems feature Wartsila 38 marine diesel engines as prime movers. This high-technology, revolutionary design (engine and surrounding powerplant) aims to achieve the lowest possible kilowatt-hour/kWh production cost.

Wartsila 38 engine’s best features, in comparison to other models, and general specifications are:

• fewer parts (less maintenance)
• lower fuel consumption; multi-fuel (reliably runs on various fuels)
• reduced greenhouse gas emissions; full compliance with IMO Tier II (new regulations regarding exhaust emissions level—see NOx/Nitrogen Oxides Regulation 13 at IMO.org)
• durable, reliable, cost-efficient

On both aircraft carriers (R08 and R09) a modified 14-cylinder version with inline cylinders was installed.

• cylinder bore 38 cm (15 in)
• piston stroke 47.5 cm (18.7 in)
• cylinder displacement 1,820 liters (each cylinder); total engine displacement for the 14-cylinder version up to 25,480 liters
• power output per cylinder 725 kW

The Finnish company Wartsila also lists the world’s most powerful diesel engine—the “Wartsila-Sulzer RTA96-C.” This turbocharged 2-stroke engine is designed to provide propulsion for the world’s largest container ships and supertankers.

Rolls-Royce propulsion system

Both new UK aircraft carriers have an IFEP propulsion system (“Integrated Full Electric Propulsion”) consisting of 4x 20 MW (27,000 hp) AIM electric motors (“Advanced Induction Motor”) by Converteam UK. These motors are similar to those on the Type 45 Royal Navy destroyers (the destroyers use two motors, one per shaft). The AIM motors are driven by a Converteam VDM 25000 modulated converter able to produce various frequencies, allowing control of shaft speed across the operating range and eliminating the gearbox in the propulsion system.

The two Wartsila 16V38 engines power the Converteam generators (positioned low in the ship for stability), while the two MT30 turbines are installed higher in the structure (shortening air/exhausts down/up-takes).

The four propulsion motors (per aircraft carrier, two per shaft) are positioned in three separate compartments for better survivability and damage control. The US company L-3 Communications Holdings supplied the command-and-control propulsion power system (controlling the turbo and diesel generator sets).

Rolls-Royce produced and delivered the CPPs (5-blade controllable-pitch propellers), which are bolted and adjustable to allow more efficient blade matching and simpler installation. The five blades are nickel-aluminum bronze and bolted from the inside. The hollow hub’s slotted holes allow pitch angles to be adjusted depending on hull design/water resistance. The units’ weight was specifically reduced (for easier handling and mounting), and blades can be replaced (if damaged) without drydocking. Each propeller has a diameter of 7 m (23 ft) and weighs 33 tons.

The steering gear (2x per ship) is also by Rolls-Royce Marine. The rotary vane steering system integrates two actuators (with lubricated rudder carrier bearings), hydraulic power units, and control and alarm systems. Rotary vane steering gears allow full torque at all rudder angles, giving more flexibility: Rolls-Royce’s RV2600-3 vane units have max torque of 1,845 kNm (kilonewton-meter) per unit. The ship’s two rudders (by Rolls-Royce) are independent and have twisted blades to minimize cavitation.

The ship has two shaft lines (total weight ~240 tons) fitted with rope guards, water-lubricated bearings, plummer and thrust bearings, and STL/Stop-Turn-Lock equipment.

The ship’s four stabilizers with retractable fins (folding into slots in the hull) are of the Neptune type (also used for large passenger vessels/cruise ships and ferries). The fins (total area 11.5 m²) are mounted as pairs (2x forward + 2x aft). At 18 knots (21 mph / 33 kph) their roll reduction is ~80%.

Rolls-Royce electrical system

Rolls-Royce also designed, manufactured, delivered, and installed the ship’s LV electrical power distribution equipment and control system, including 13x switchboards (each with capacity over 4000 A), 1x emergency switchboard, 34x distribution centers, 400x distribution panels, 27x starter boards (that control the low-voltage motors), 50x motor starters (that control the motors’ electrical machines), 31x changeover switches, 104x auxiliary transformers, and 10x UPS units (uninterruptible power supply/energy storage for all critical-mission and safety systems).

The company also supplied the Medical Power System (for the Infirmary’s medical facilities) and 2x DG Panel Boards (diesel-gensets).

Ship christening (2014)

The QE aircraft carrier’s naming ceremony was held on Friday (July 4, 2014) and led by godmother Her Majesty Elizabeth II (Queen of the UK and Britain’s 14 Commonwealths). The event featured a prime Scotch whisky bottle smashed into the hull (instead of the traditional champagne), as well as aerial acrobatics by Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II aircraft—making its first flight outside the USA to honor the event.

After the July 4 naming ceremony, the F-35B Lightning II was also scheduled to perform aerial acrobatics at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT, the world’s largest military airshow, held at RAF Fairford / Gloucestershire, England) and at the Farnborough International Airshow (Farnborough Airport / Hampshire, England).

The naming was in Scotland (held at Rosyth Dockyard). The Scottish Bowmore Distillery (on Islay Island) was the first-ever distillery officially visited by HM The Queen (1926-2022).

The ship naming ceremony was attended by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1921-2021 / Lord High Admiral at the time), Admiral Sir George Michael Zambellas (First Sea Lord at the time), British politicians David Cameron (Prime Minister/2010-2016) and James Gordon Brown (Prime Minister/2007-2010), Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond (Scotland’s First Minister/2007-2014), as well as American and French senior naval officers.