A timelapse video featuring the command centre of the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales has been released by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance.
The film charts its journey from its construction hall in Govan, Glasgow to the under-construction carrier in Rosyth dockyard, near Edinburgh.
Installation of the 680-tonne command centre, or Forward Island, is the latest step in the work to deliver the second of the Royal Navy’s largest-ever warships.
At 280m long and 56m tall, each QEC-class carrier will displace more than 65,000 tonnes of water when at sea, and the Forward Island is a key part of all operations.
As the main hub of the ship it contains the bridge and about 100 vital mission systems compartments.
The Aircraft Carrier Alliance is a partnering relationship between industry and the UK Ministry of Defence.
Why, oh why, do our new aircraft carriers have TWO islands, and every other has just one???
In fact, why do we need any aircraft carrier of this size – are they not just ‘missile bait’, as the Falklands experience underlined?
Without carriers, the Falklands would have been lost.
I do wonder about the islands though. Surely a lot of cameras linked to a safe room in the middle of the ship would be just as good nowadays and would supply a lot of spare deck space?
“Without carriers, the Falklands would have been lost.”
Saving UK plc about £4,000,000,000 in cash to win them back; and an on-going committment of approx £1,000,000,000 pa (widows’ pensions, cost of garrison, etc etc
Oh, I forgot: the episode ensured Thatcher’s re-election and was a PR bonanza in terms of its effect on the attitude(s) and approach to us of ‘them’. Whoever ‘them’ are? Get a life: gunboat diplomacy is over: by all means ensure that intellectual warfare is ahead of the curve: so that the need(s) for physical rock-throwing is eliminated.
But it provided work to often neglected areas of the UK and made the local MP look good.
My previous posts might be re-read! here is outstanding skill, management, technology, administration, metal manipulation…its all there for what? OK, it will keep some admirals in gold-braid (I once had as a textile client the firm that makes the scrambled-egg on all officers’ hats) and its of course available for humanitarian aid missions. Just for the record, how would it be if the earthquake, natural disaster, even man-made disaster (Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, Ebola outbreak..escape of chemical warfare weaponery…) was in one of the areas of the world/countries our planning believes is hostile..would we just ‘sail-by?’ But is all this skill to be wasted whilst the market for cruise ships, bulk carriers (no-pun intended) etc is as buoyant (no pun intended) as we are told it is?
Can anyone tell me what the piece of music is?
The Argentinian Military Junta (effective dictatorship) who launched the unprovoked attack on the Falkands were responsible for abducting and killing many more of their own people than died in the war. After defeat in the Falkands they were removed from power and Democracy was restored in Argentina. We set out to restore the rights of the Falkand Islanders to self determination, ironically we also helped millions of Argentinians in the same way! I truly wish the world was a peacefull place sadly it is not. We may build these ships for all sorts of reasons but if the Prince of Wales ever has cause to take part in a similar conflict I believe it will be fully justified.