One day after leaving Portsmouth for a four-month deployment to the US, the £3 billion Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales experienced mechanical difficulties.
As the Royal Navy conducts “investigations into an emergent technical issue,” the 65,000-ton warship has remained on the south coast drill area close to the Isle of Wight, a spokesperson said on Sunday. They choose not to add more commentary.
According to the Navy Lookout news site, divers have been investigating the 930-foot carrier after a propeller shaft was reportedly damaged.
As reported by the Guardian, the ship, which is the biggest warship in the British Navy and the Nato’s flagship carrier, has a history of issues and was left stuck at Portsmouth at the end of 2020 after flooding in the engine room damaged the electrics. After springing leaks twice in five months, the carrier reportedly spent less than 90 days at sea during its first two years of operation.
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It was scheduled to go across the Atlantic with a 1,600-person crew, making stops in Halifax, Canada, New York, and the Caribbean. The crew will participate in a program using unmanned technologies and F-35B fighters to train alongside the US military and the Royal Canadian Navy.
The ship was given an energetic sendoff as it sailed through the Victorious music festival on Southsea Common in Portsmouth.
The HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth are both ships in the UK’s carrier strike group, which will deploy to the Baltic and Mediterranean this fall.
Cold Response 22, its first drill, took place there. In addition to being able to engage in fierce combat, it is anticipated to function in a variety of situations like giving humanitarian help and disaster relief.
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