HMS Queen Elizabeth

[GoldWithFalmer]

GwF,i accept what you say however should some sort of conflict break-out like the Falklands just how hard would it become to defend her against air strikes ?

I would imagine lessons have been learned and i would hope our systems are very much like the American Goalkeeper system,Seawolf & Phalax guns and the like or the more modern variants should and could keep the odd Exocet missile away,but lets not forget each carrier will have more than double the air craft that the whole task force had,so that is 50% increase in air cover for a start,perhaps the silent threat bellow the waves will be more of a risk,i hope the sonar screen is adequate..

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

I very much hope that your vision will turn out to be the reality. I don't think we need 'quantity over quality' - merely sufficient for all reasonably foreseeable commitments, not least defence of the UK - and ideally some capacity to cover for refits etc. It would be embarrassing to opt for the jewels in the crown only for them to be in refit etc and unavailable just when we need them.

Sadly the reality is that we cannot afford a large fleet and infrastructure to support it. I note there is a debate to scale back on Trident so that we no longer have 1 sub on patrol at any time. I guess it is a debate that needs to be had.

I think reading between the lines the long term objectives is to perhaps have 2 strike fleets,small in number of ships,say 15 per unit...

The Submarine issue is i hope fairly secure what with the recent Astute Class,but even the Americans have had to make cut backs,part due to worldwide Nuclear peace treaties,part finance,their more recent and modern Peace keeper missiles were withdrawn from service and they only have some 400 more than enough of the older Minuteman ICBM's as a intercontinental strike package.

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

God bless you David Cameron.....HMS PRINCE OF WALES will now be built securing many jobs too..

 

[TheJasperCo]

I read an article in GQ the other day which talked about this. Absolutely breathtaking, not just the size of it, but how technologically advanced it is. It's about two-thirds the size of American "super-carriers", and yet it has fewer than a quarter of people on board. The cabling I think is enough to go around the world at least twice, and when fully operational it can carry up to 40 aircraft. And the UK plans on building TWO of them, although it's another matter if they both get commissioned and see active duty.

 

[Javeaseagull]

I served on HMS Ark Royal and know it stopped Guatemala invading Belize in the 70's. The story is told in Phoenix Squadron by Rowland White. Belize is independent to this day(I think).
The author does have a bit of rant about scrapping carriers but he has a point. Instead of spending billions on a nuclear deterrent that we can never use building carriers makes sense for an island nation.

 

[Seagull on the wing]

God bless you David Cameron.....HMS PRINCE OF WALES will now be built securing many jobs too..

The last HMS PRINCE OF WALES got sunk through lack of air cover....the new one with no aircraft...tut tut!

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

The last HMS PRINCE OF WALES got sunk through lack of air cover....the new one with no aircraft...tut tut!

They will have them eventually,irony eh

 

[Javeaseagull]

As I said before, I served on the Ark Royal, the one that was in the TV series Sailing. We always had nicknames for ships. The first plastic minesweeper (to evade magnetic mines) was nicknamed HMS Tupperware for instance. I also served on the Bulwark, affectionately known as the Rusty B but only by those that served on it. Anyone else got short shrift.
I worry that the matelots on this one will be known as Queenies? Anyway, should toughen them up.

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

As I said before, I served on the Ark Royal, the one that was in the TV series Sailing. We always had nicknames for ships. The first plastic minesweeper (to evade magnetic mines) was nicknamed HMS Tupperware for instance. I also served on the Bulwark, affectionately known as the Rusty B but only by those that served on it. Anyone else got short shrift.
I worry that the matelots on this one will be known as Queenies? Anyway, should toughen them up.

I salute you Sir-was the Bulwark scrapped about the same time as the Ark?

Also Ark's sister the Eagle,similar but i think the Ark had better up grades?

 

[StonehamPark]

Would like to see some Somali pirates try to take it over.

 

[Javeaseagull]

I salute you Sir-was the Bulwark scrapped about the same time as the Ark?

Also Ark's sister the Eagle,similar but i think the Ark had better up grades?

Eagle was Ark Royals sister ship. Not sure what happened to her after she run aground in Plymouth Sound. Both were circa 56,000 tons and Eagle had better radar. I remember a huge "bedstead" on her island, we never had anything like that. The biggest ships we had ever had, at the time. There were rumors about nuclear warheads down on 7 deck but never admitted to,obviously.
Bulwark was about 26,000 tons from memory, sister ship to Albion I think. Converted to Commando carriers with choppers.
To answer your question as best I can, Bulwark soldiered on for a bit longer. They were both paid off in the 70's.
The Ark that I knew would have been very handy for the Falklands and I have always thought that the Falklands war would never have happened if we still had her. Bit like the "Guatemala War" never happened. Funny how Maggie went from being the most unpopular PM since polls began before the Falklands to the most popular since WW2. Coincidence?

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

Eagle was Ark Royals sister ship. Not sure what happened to her after she run aground in Plymouth Sound. Both were circa 56,000 tons and Eagle had better radar. I remember a huge "bedstead" on her island, we never had anything like that. The biggest ships we had ever had, at the time. There were rumors about nuclear warheads down on 7 deck but never admitted to,obviously.
Bulwark was about 26,000 tons from memory, sister ship to Albion I think. Converted to Commando carriers with choppers.
To answer your question as best I can, Bulwark soldiered on for a bit longer. They were both paid off in the 70's.
The Ark that I knew would have been very handy for the Falklands and I have always thought that the Falklands war would never have happened if we still had her. Bit like the "Guatemala War" never happened. Funny how Maggie went from being the most unpopular PM since polls began before the Falklands to the most popular since WW2. Coincidence?

Thanks for sharing,i have been looking at carriers recently,HMS Victorious was a lovely looking boat,we even loaned her to the Americans for a time and she had jets towards the end,2nd only to the Ark for all time carriers...my dad served on HMS Warrior.

 

[Curious Orange]

As I said before, I served on the Ark Royal, the one that was in the TV series Sailing. We always had nicknames for ships. The first plastic minesweeper (to evade magnetic mines) was nicknamed HMS Tupperware for instance. I also served on the Bulwark, affectionately known as the Rusty B but only by those that served on it. Anyone else got short shrift.
I worry that the matelots on this one will be known as Queenies? Anyway, should toughen them up.

My Grandad served aboard HMS Malaya during the war and would have witnessed the sinking of the original Ark Royal carrier... but that is by-the-by, he always used to refer to Mary Rose as HMS Driftwood

 

[Javeaseagull]

Thanks for sharing,i have been looking at carriers recently,HMS Victorious was a lovely looking boat,we even loaned her to the Americans for a time and she had jets towards the end,2nd only to the Ark for all time carriers...my dad served on HMS Warrior.

Ark Royal was my first ship and we sailed to the Far East to relieve HMS Victorious as station carrier. The handover was at Gibraltar! We were late, as usual. The Vic had Buccaneer jets, we had slightly older Scimitars and Sea Vixens. As we crossed paths their jets bombed our flight deck with toilet rolls to remind us of where we were heading! They signalled to us "Where's your Buccaneers?" We signalled back "Alongside our bucking heads!" Made me laugh, anyway.

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

Ark Royal was my first ship and we sailed to the Far East to relieve HMS Victorious as station carrier. The handover was at Gibraltar! We were late, as usual. The Vic had Buccaneer jets, we had slightly older Scimitars and Sea Vixens. As we crossed paths their jets bombed our flight deck with toilet rolls to remind us of where we were heading! They signalled to us "Where's your Buccaneers?" We signalled back "Alongside our bucking heads!" Made me laugh, anyway.

Ha ha great stuff,good fun by the sounds of it..

 

[Javeaseagull]

Ha ha great stuff,good fun by the sounds of it..

Thank you but please don't refer to HMS Victorious as a lovely boat! She was a ship. To an ex-matelot boats are submarines. Sorry.

 

[Miami Seagull]

View attachment 58283

My old ship, 83 to 86, great times...

 

[Javeaseagull]

View attachment 58283

My old ship, 83 to 86, great times...

Sorry, couldn't see that?

 

[Chicken Run]

Thank you but please don't refer to HMS Victorious as a lovely boat! She was a ship. To an ex-matelot boats are submarines. Sorry.

Ironic post seeing as Victorious is now a "boat"
D108 RP

 

[Seagull on the wing]

As I said before, I served on the Ark Royal, the one that was in the TV series Sailing. We always had nicknames for ships. The first plastic minesweeper (to evade magnetic mines) was nicknamed HMS Tupperware for instance. I also served on the Bulwark, affectionately known as the Rusty B but only by those that served on it. Anyone else got short shrift.
I worry that the matelots on this one will be known as Queenies? Anyway, should toughen them up.

We were picket ship (HMS Saintes,battle class destroyer) for the Bulwark at the Suez,There was Albion,Bulwark,Centaur in the same light carrier group,but rarely served together.