The Royal Navy’s £3 billion aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales has broken down just a day after leaving Portsmouth to begin a four-month deployment to the United States.
The 65,000-tonne warship remained in the south coast exercise area near the Isle of Wight while the Royal Navy carries out “investigations into an emerging mechanical issue”, a spokesman said on Sunday. They declined to comment further.
Divers have been inspecting the 930-foot carrier after damage to a propeller shaft was reported, according to news site Navy Lookout.
The ship, Britain’s largest warship and NATO’s flagship, has had a history of problems, stranding in Portsmouth in late 2020 after flooding in the engine room damaged the electricity During its first two years of service, the carrier spent less than 90 days at sea after leaking twice in five months.
She was to cross the Atlantic with her crew of 1,600, stopping in Halifax, Canada, as well as New York and the Caribbean. The crew is scheduled to train alongside the US Army and Royal Canadian Navy in a program with F-35B aircraft and unmanned systems.
The ship was given a spirited farewell, passing the Victorious music festival on Southsea Common in Portsmouth amidst a performance by Sugababes.
HMS Prince of Wales is part of the UK’s carrier strike group along with her sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth, which will deploy to the Baltic and Mediterranean this autumn.
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Its first exercise, called Cold Response 22, was in the Arctic. It is expected to operate in a variety of environments, including providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief, as well as being capable of high-intensity combat.