HMS Queen Elizabeth

[GoldWithFalmer]

Tell me about it!!!! Not looking forward to it!!

I'll tell them you are a descendant of Admiral Rodney from the 17th century,that should get you up the pecking order,are you going to be stationed on the Queen? or is such information classified....

 

[Albion4Ev3R]

I'll tell them you are a descendant of Admiral Rodney from the 17th century,that should get you up the pecking order,are you going to be stationed on the Queen? or is such information classified....

Only on e solution, become a pig

I'm Quite happy being a LEMME and I think it should be classified if not already

 

[lawros left foot]

Don't know why the Ark Royal was scrapped anyway,she i am sure was the newest of the Invincible class..

I think this was probally down to which one needed a re-fit, or large scale maintenance at the time, if I remember rightly it was all decided with indecent haste, they scrapped the Harriers one week, and announced that the Ark would go the next.

 

[lawros left foot]

I'm Quite happy being a LEMME and I think it should be classified if not already

Is that what they call Greenies now?

 

[Crennis]

I think this was probally down to which one needed a re-fit, or large scale maintenance at the time, if I remember rightly it was all decided with indecent haste, they scrapped the Harriers one week, and announced that the Ark would go the next.

Correct, Lusty was already half way through an expensive refit when the decision to scrap Ark Royal was made, made sense to finish the job and let her run on as duty helicopter carrier until this year when HMS Ocean completes her own refit and rejoins the fleet. Queen Elizabeth is a long way off finished though, sea trials don't start until 2016, she won't have jets until 2018 and she won't be fully operational until 2020. That said I can't wait to see her coming into Pompey for the first time.

 

[Albion4Ev3R]

Is that what they call Greenies now?

Never heard of a Greenie? I'm a Killic in Marine Engineering

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

Selecting the F35 fighter also meant building new and much larger carriers. Personally I feel it's a pity that the (British) Harrier could not be developed further rather than opt for the heaviest and least capable variant of an unproven American aircraft that currently has a number of teething problems.

OK the F35 is two generations of technology newer than the Harrier but also happens to be incredibly expensive, so together with the carriers will take a huge chunk of our defence budget. It concerns me that these (and Trident) are at the expense of having a meaningful surface fleet capability in order to meet our more routine military commitments and to maintain UK domestic security.

On the other hand procuring the F35 will mean the preservation of many UK jobs, including 5000 or so, just down the road from me at RAF Marham, which will become the engineering centre of excellence for the F35. The Govt is also hoping to persuade our European partners in the F35 to adopt Marham too. Fingers crossed.

 

[Norman Baker suck my lozenge]

any sign of the planes for it yet ?

iminent!

 

[lawros left foot]

Never heard of a Greenie? I'm a Killic in Marine Engineering

Greenies were electrical engineers, you're a stoker

 

[Leekbrookgull]

We could send one and a small flotilla of supporting and escort ships anywhere in the world now to protect our interests and have a genuine capability to go with it,still it will take a few more years yet to get as others have stated to get the planes,and after the shakedown trials and test have been completed..

GwF,the problem is this does nothing to stop a terrorist and a ruckpack on the Tube,DLR,Metro etc.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

Was so pleased to see Alex ''slimeball'' Salmond at the launching.

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

Selecting the F35 fighter also meant building new and much larger carriers. Personally I feel it's a pity that the (British) Harrier could not be developed further rather than opt for the heaviest and least capable variant of an unproven American aircraft that currently has a number of teething problems.

OK the F35 is two generations of technology newer than the Harrier but also happens to be incredibly expensive, so together with the carriers will take a huge chunk of our defence budget. It concerns me that these (and Trident) are at the expense of having a meaningful surface fleet capability in order to meet our more routine military commitments and to maintain UK domestic security.

On the other hand procuring the F35 will mean the preservation of many UK jobs, including 5000 or so, just down the road from me at RAF Marham, which will become the engineering centre of excellence for the F35. The Govt is also hoping to persuade our European partners in the F35 to adopt Marham too. Fingers crossed.

Perhaps,but if the POW gets the go ahead and what with the changing face of technology,a smaller surface fleet,with specialized vessels in a supporting role could be one way forward,nobody really expected the Battleship to be replaced by the aircraft carrier but it happened,perhaps these carriers will be the jewels in the crown and the recent type 45 destroyer the more than adequate assistants,do we really need quantity over quality in the modern era?

 

[lawros left foot]

GwF,the problem is this does nothing to stop a terrorist and a ruckpack on the Tube,DLR,Metro etc.

Present theory is we can nuke them with Trident, I think thats why we still have it anyway

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

GwF,the problem is this does nothing to stop a terrorist and a ruckpack on the Tube,DLR,Metro etc.

No it does not and that is a new and more recent threat,something that is hard to deal with,but to suggest we don't need a worldwide capability at this time or for the future,would be foolhardy,the terrorist threat requires a completely different approach..

 

[Northstander]

As beautiful as this is and as per a previous post, how will this stop issis and it's young British recruits or foreign fundamentalists.

Surely we should be investing in larger numbers of SAS/SBS/ Special force troops which I think would be more effective in the current climate.


Can anyone confirm other than the Falklands, whe was the last war at sea?

 

[Albion4Ev3R]

The Falklands was the last major battle and the Marines would be best suited to the isis predicament the SAS /SBS are more secretive in what they do they don't do large scale only intel and important individuals

 

[lawros left foot]

As beautiful as this is and as per a previous post, how will this stop issis and it's young British recruits or foreign fundamentalists.

Surely we should be investing in larger numbers of SAS/SBS/ Special force troops which I think would be more effective in the current climate.


Can anyone confirm other than the Falklands, whe was the last war at sea?

The Cod War?

I still think us veterans should of had a campaign medal

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

As beautiful as this is and as per a previous post, how will this stop issis and it's young British recruits or foreign fundamentalists.

Surely we should be investing in larger numbers of SAS/SBS/ Special force troops which I think would be more effective in the current climate.


Can anyone confirm other than the Falklands, whe was the last war at sea?

That conflict may not have happened had we had keep the old Ark Royal and it's fixed wing aircraft,and just because all is rosy now,and life is all tweets facebook and the like,many real threats lay outside the comfort of this Island..Things can change and just having a super carrier off shore of some far flung country can serve as a pressure for that country to control it's own,both at home and those that are away.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

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 ?

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

Perhaps,but if the POW gets the go ahead and what with the changing face of technology,a smaller surface fleet,with specialized vessels in a supporting role could be one way forward,nobody really expected the Battleship to be replaced by the aircraft carrier but it happened,perhaps these carriers will be the jewels in the crown and the recent type 45 destroyer the more than adequate assistants,do we really need quantity over quality in the modern era?

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.