Two days after the UK’s biggest warship left port ‘ready to push the boundaries’ of technology, it had to turn around after only making it to the Isle of Wight.
Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales was meant to reach the US coast for exercises in a ‘landmark mission’.
The 65,000-tonne warship left Portsmouth Naval Base on Saturday, but before an ’emerging mechanical issue’ occurred and it broke down near the island, which is about 25 miles from Portsmouth at its farthest point.
The departure of the £3 billion ship had already been delayed from Friday because of a technical problem, although it is not known if the incidents are related.
Specialist website Navy Lookout said the issue was caused by damage to the starboard propeller shaft, although the Ministry of Defence has not commented on this.
The website said a photograph of the carrier leaving Portsmouth shows a wake only on the port side, suggesting a problem with the other propeller shaft.
It added that unless the problem can be resolved at sea the warship might need to go into dry dock at Rosyth, Scotland, months ahead of a planned inspection in 2023.
The carrier was moving slowly from south east of the Isle of Wight towards Stokes Bay, Gosport, this afternoon where it is understood the sheltered area will make it easier for divers to examine the damage.
A Royal Navy spokeswoman said: ‘HMS Prince of Wales remains in the South Coast Exercise Area while conducting investigations into an emerging mechanical issue.’
The carrier passed thousands of music-lovers at the Victorious Festival on Southsea Common in Portsmouth after departing on Saturday afternoon.
Pop band Sugababes were in the middle of their set when the giant ship sailed past with the crew lining the flight deck to get a view of the festival.
The Nato flagship had been sailing to undertake training exercises with the US Navy, the Royal Canadian Navy and the US Marine Corps.
A Royal Navy spokesman said on Saturday: ‘Britain’s biggest warship has sailed from Portsmouth on a landmark mission to shape the future of stealth jet and drone operations off the coast of North America and in the Caribbean.
‘HMS Prince of Wales will cross the Atlantic with her task group, ready to push the boundaries of uncrewed technology and the tactics used by the UK’s two new Queen Elizabeth-class carriers.
‘Along with notable port stops in New York, Halifax in Canada and the Caribbean, the next three months will see the Prince of Wales task group work closely with US allies, operating F-35B jets and uncrewed systems which will define Royal Navy aviation of the future.
‘With fleet flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth also set to deploy to the Mediterranean and Baltic this autumn at the heart of a potent Royal Navy task group, it will mean both UK aircraft carriers will be operating F-35B jets thousands of miles apart.’
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