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 3rd. The 2-ship order was publically announced on July 25, 2007, by Desmond Henry Browne (Baron Browne of Ladyton) the UK's Secretary of State for Defence in the period 2006-2008.

Initially, the project's budget was GBP 4,085 billion (~USD 8,4B / EUR 6B) for both units, the first of which was planned to enter service in July 2015. However, due to the 2008's financial crisis, the construction was 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 2-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 (1963-born), MOD's DE&S/Defence Equipment & Support's 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 vessel's construction officially started with the keel-laying ceremony held on July 7, 2009. The aircraft carrier was christened on July 4th 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, the Queen of England between 1533-36) and later by Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603, the 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 3rd. The ship's first bunkering stop was in Invergordon (for fueling and provisioning) where were carried out also hull inspections. Queen Elizabeth arrived at homeport HMNB Portsmouth on August 16, berthing at Princess Royal Jetty. The second sea trials were conducted in the period October 30th - November 21. The official commissioning was on December 7th. 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 wight 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) in August 16-20, 2011. Block 04 (weight 11000 tons) left Govan Shipyard on October 28, 2012, and arrived at Rosyth Dockyard on November 21st.

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 an absolute silence, which I guess is intentionally done - 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 flightdeck, respectively, in March and June 2013, while the frlightdeck's ski jump was mounted in November.

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

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

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

On June 16th, the aft island tower left BAE Scotstoun shipyard bound for Rosyth. On June 25th, BAE Systems was contracted (GBP 5,5M) to deliver and install the VTMS (Vessel Traffic Management System).

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

On November 11th, the ski ramp was completed. The ramp helps the F35 jets get airborne/off the flightdeck.

On November 28th, was added the main radar (weight 8,4 tons) 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 F35B Lightning II stealth jets around the hangers. 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 3 times heavier than the British aircraft. At the time, the UK owned 3x F35Bs.

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

Over 51 million manhours were spent in the vessels' design and construction, with involved ~17000 people. 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. Optic cables' total length is 4970 mi/8000 km. Around 11000 people worked at the construction sites, including ~3000 at Rosyth Shipyard.

Most of the construction works were 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 (1828-founded) and HMNB Portsmouth (Her Majesty's Naval Base, one of the UK's 3x 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 4 main divisions - three of which are for UK operations (Marine and Technology, Defence and Security, Support Services) and one is 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 ship maintenance/refit of the RN's surface ships).

BAE Systems (BaeSystems.com, construction sites Glasgow, Portsmouth, Cammell Laird, Birkenhead) is a global corporation and a provider of defense and security products (cyber services, military support, mission-critical electronic systems, protection equipment, and more), with way over 100,000 employees worldwide (the majority of them working in USA and UK). Reported sales of GBP 22,4B (US$ 36,2B).

Thales Group UK (ThalesGroup.com) is a global company specializing on 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 Hebbum) is the UK's largest ship repair/conversion company, with 3 huge shipyards (Hebburn, Middlesbrough, Falmouth).

Engines, power, propulsion

The vessel's powerplant includes CODLAG (combined Diesel-Electric and Gas Turbine propulsion), two 36MW Rolls Royce turbines, two "Wartsila 16V38" diesels (16-cylinder, with 11,6MW generators), two "Wartsila 12V38" diesels (12-cylinder, with 8,7MW generators) - both models are with a turbocharger, one "Wartsila 12V200" (2MW emergency diesel generator set), two propeller shafts (each with 2x Alstom 15-phase electric motors / 150 rpm, 80MW total power consumption, output - 95,000 SHP).

The ship's main diesel-generator sets (Wartsila 38) supply a total of 40 MW of all the 112,6 MW, with the remainder of the power output being from the two gas turbines. The ship is also fitted with a Wartsila MBR200N (Membrane BioReactor). This is an advanced wastewater (grey- and black-water) processing system based on biological degradation and membrane separation. Wartsila MBR200N produces a high-quality water discharge without adding or generating any hazardous chemicals.

Rolls Royce Marine gas turbines

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

Rolls Royce MT30 marine gas turbine engine[/caption] Each of the warship's 2 gas turbines (the MT30 model was firstly produced in 2002) generates 36 MW - enough to power a small town. Both gas marine turbines provide the power for the 2 propellers, weapons, sensors, command systems, the lower voltage requirements of the ship's company. The MT30 turbine was engineered to meet the needs of both naval ships and commercial marine vessels. The list of its naval applications includes frigates, destroyers, and of course - aircraft carriers. The gas turbine's main features are:

• compact size (15ft / 4,5m in length)
• lightweight (total module weight as a set is 77 tons)
• great flexibility to the ship design process, 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 that it would fit into smaller ships. The company offered the MT30 model to the Royal Navy for the CODLOG system in the Type 26 frigates (their construction started in 2015) The MT30 engine design is based on 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 as prime movers Wartsila 38 marine diesel engine. This is a high technology level and revolutionary design (as both engine and powerplant around it) to achieve 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 emission levels, full compliance with IMO Tier II (new regulations regarding exhaust emissions level (for details you can search for NOx/Nitrogen Oxides Regulation 13/ at IMO.org)
• durable, reliable, cost-efficient.

On both aircraft carriers (R08 and R09) was installed a modified 14-cylinder version with inline 6 cylinders.

• cylinder bore 38 cm (15 inches)
• piston stroke 47,5 cm (18,7 inches)
• cylinder displacement 1820 liters (each cylinder). Total engine displacement for the 14-cylinder version is up to 25,480 liters.
• power output per cylinder 725 kW.

The Finish company Wartsila has in its list of marine products also the world's most powerful diesel engine - the "Wartsila-Sulzer RTA96-C". This is a turbocharged 2-stroke engine generally designed to provide the propulsion force 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 20MW (27000 HP) AIM electric motors ("Advanced Induction Motor") by Converteam UK. These motors are similar to those on the "Type 45" Royal Navy destroyers (only UK destroyers use 2 motors, 1 per shaft). The AIM motors are driven by a Converteam VDM 25000 modulated converter able to produce various frequencies, which allows controlling the shaft speed across the operating range and eliminates the gearbox unit in the propulsion system.

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

The four propulsion motors (per aircraft carrier, 2 per shaft) are positioned in 3 separate compartments. This design is for better survivability and damage control. The US company L-3 Communications Holdings is the supplier of 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 more simple installation. The 5 blades are from nickel aluminum bronze and bolted from the inside. The hollow hub's slotted holes allow their pitch angles to be adjusted depending on hull design/water resistance. The units' weight was specifically reduced (for easier handling and mounting) and the blades can be replaced (if damaged) without dry docking. Each of the propellers has diameter 7 m (23 ft) and weight 33 tons

The steering gear (2x per ship) is also by Rolls-Royce Marine. The rotary vane steering system integrates 2x actuators (with lubricated rudder carrier bearings), hydraulic power units, 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 are with max torque 1845 kNm (kilonewton meter) per unit. The ship's both rudders (by Rolls-Royce) are independent and with 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, STL/Stop-Turn-Lock equipment.

The ship's four stabilizers with retractable fins (folding into slots in the hull) and are of the Neptune type (also used for large passenger vessels/cruise and ferries). The fins (total area size 11,5 m2) are 4x and mounted as pairs (2x forward + 2x aft). At speed 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 the control system, including 13x switchboards (each with capacity over 4000 A)1x emergency switchboard, 34x distribution centres, 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, 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 4th, 2014) and led by godmother Her Majesty Elizabeth II (Queen of the UK and Britain's 14 Commonwealths). The special event featured a prime Scotch whisky bottle smashed into the hull (instead of the traditional champagne), as well as fly acrobatics by Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II aircraft - making its first outside USA flight to honor the event.

After the July 4th naming ceremony, the F-35B Lightning II is also scheduled to perform some fly acrobatics at the Royal International Air Tattoo (or shortly RIAT, the largest military airshow in the world, held in RAF Fairford /Gloucestershire, England) and also 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), the 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 by American and French senior naval officers.