The £3 billion aircraft carrier will depart Stokes Bay, Gosport at around 3.30pm on Saturday and is due to return to Portsmouth Naval Base sometime after 5pm, officials said. It will travel at low speed using only one propeller, they added. And once the warship arrives, it will remain in Portsmouth for further inspections before heading to a dock for repairs – most likely Rosyth in Scotland where it was built. The NATO flagship was towed into Stokes Bay after a coupling failed on one of its propeller shafts on 27 August. He left Portsmouth that day for diplomatic visits to the US, which would include flight tests with the F-35B Lightening jets. The 65,000-ton ship’s departure had already been delayed due to a technical problem, but the decision was made to set sail regardless. Navy officials announced Friday that because of these technical difficulties, she will be replaced by HMS Queen Elizabeth on the trip to the US. Its crew have been informed of the change in their schedule as they prepare for missions in the Baltic and Mediterranean this autumn. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 2:05 The UK’s largest warship has been moved to a “better location for inspection” after experiencing an “emerging mechanical problem” off the south coast. Rear Admiral Steve Moorhouse, director of Force Generation, responsible for ensuring the Royal Navy’s ships are ready to deploy, said: “Royal Navy divers have inspected the starboard shaft of the shift and adjacent areas and have confirmed that there is significant damage to the shaft in the propeller and some surface damage to the rudder, but no damage to the rest of the ship. “Our initial assessment indicated that the coupling joining the last two sections of the shaft failed. “Now, this is an extremely unusual error and we are continuing to pursue all repair options.” Navy chiefs and the administration are believed to be assessing which US commitments, including at the Atlantic Future Forum in New York in late September, are necessary for a carrier and which can be carried out by other ships in the same fleet.
