The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales will be seen from the Isle of Wight on Sunday (February 11) when it leaves Portsmouth and heads out onto the Solent ahead of NATO exercises.
The fleet flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth had been expected to depart from Portsmouth Naval Base to lead the largest NATO exercise since the Cold War, involving more than 40 vessels.
But the sailing of the £3 billion warship has been called off after an issue was found with the starboard propeller coupling during final checks.
The same malfunction was found onboard the HMS Prince of Wales 18 months ago when it came to a halt and broke down off the coast of the Island.
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As part of preparations, scaffolding onboard the carrier’s flight deck has been removed, ahead of its departure from Portsmouth at Sunday lunchtime.
Announcing the change of plans, Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Andrew Burns said: “Routine pre-sailing checks identified an issue with a coupling on HMS Queen Elizabeth’s starboard propeller shaft. As such, the ship will not sail on Sunday.
“HMS Prince of Wales will take her place on NATO duties and will set sail for Exercise Steadfast Defender as soon as possible.”
If you manage to snap any photos of HMS Prince of Wales off the coast of the Island, be sure to share them with us at editor@iwcp.co.uk
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