The Royal Navy’s flagship £3billion warship HMS Queen Elizabeth has caught fire.
The ship suffered minor damage while docked at Glenmallan, in Scotland.
It comes just weeks after HMS Queen Elizabeth was due to set sail from Portsmouth to help lead the western military alliance’s biggest exercise since the Cold War.
But the £3.5billion, 65,000-ton ship was pulled out at the 11th hour when rust was discovered on the affected part – leaving it at risk of it breaking down at sea.
It is understood that the situation is now at an end and there were no fatalities or ordnances involved in the incident.
‘No fatalities, minor fire damage to the ship but all over with,’ a source on the ship told the UK Defence Journal.
HMS Queen Elizabeth (left) was due to set sail from Portsmouth to help lead the western military alliance’s biggest exercise since the Cold War
But the £3.5billion, 65,000-ton ship was pulled out at the 11th hour after rust was discovered on the affected part – leaving it at risk of it breaking down at sea
A Royal Navy Spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘A minor, isolated fire on HMS Queen Elizabeth was quickly brought under control and extinguished.’
HMS Queen Elizabeth arrived at the Scottish dock yesterday as it destored ammunition and supplies enroute to Rosyth, where it will be repaired.
The ship was due to be replaced by is sister carrier, £3billion warship HMS Prince of Wales, on a NATO, but its departure was also cancelled at the last minute.
The 65,000-tonne Royal Navy aircraft carrier had down off the Isle of White 18 months ago after a coupling on its 33-tonne starboard propeller malfunctioned.
And in early February four tiny P2000s, which normally patrol coastlines with crews of five, were instead seen making final preparations before heading to Norway.
The embarrassing limitations of Britain’s once mighty Royal Navy have been exposed in a string of alarming revelations this year.
In January, sources revealed HMS Queen Elizabeth would be unable to back up the Prime Minister’s promises to resist Houthi aggression in the Red Sea as its support ship was reportedly understaffed and stuck in a Liverpool shipyard.
A damning ‘Ready For War’ report has since urged leaders and ministers to be more transparent about shortcomings across the military so they can be addressed urgently.
Despite spending about £50bn a year on defence, the report has warned Britain will need ‘sustained ongoing investment’ to fight a ‘high intensity war’.
This is a breaking story. More to follow.
