Reporting for duty, Britain’s warrior queen of the seas

TO A FANFARE welcome, the great grey bulk of Britain’s mightiest warship slips across the calm waters of Portsmouth harbour to open a new chapter in our nation’s proud maritime history.

The aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, at 65,000 tons the largest vessel ever built for the Royal Navy, was moving to its home port yesterday to continue trials and crew training.

As the future flagship of the fleet, she will project British seapower around the world long into the 21st century, following in the wake of a line of famous fighting ships – from the Mary Rose to the Invincible. Tens of thousands of people waving Union Flags stood at the harbour’s edge to welcome the £3billion Queen Elizabeth as sailors lined her 920ft-long deck.

First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Philip Jones described the aircraft carrier as the ‘embodiment of Britain in steel and spirit’, which marked the start of a new ‘golden age’ of national maritime power.

The Navy chief said Queen Elizabeth and her sister carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, which is due into service in 2020, will mark Britain as a ‘confident, outwardlooking and ambitious nation – with a Royal Navy to match’.

One of the first on board after the ship berthed was Theresa May, who also hailed Queen Elizabeth as a symbol of the UK as a ‘great global maritime nation’.

‘Britain can be proud of this ship and what it represents,’ she said. ‘It sends a clear signal that as Britain forges a new, positive, confident role on the world stage in the years ahead we are determined to remain a fully engaged global power, working closely with our friends and allies around the world.’

And there was a more personal welcome from Louise Bond, 30, from Fareham, Hampshire, who was among the crowds lining the harbour and whose husband, Petty Officer Greg Bond, 33, is serving on board.

‘I was up at 2.30am, first in line,’ she said. ‘It’s amazing, I wouldn’t miss it for the world. It’s a historic moment, once-ina-lifetime to see.’

Two flypasts of Royal Navy helicopters, including a Sea King and four Merlins, greeted Queen Elizabeth, along with two Hawk jets.

But there was a ban on flying drones around the harbour as she arrived. It followed an embarrassing incident earlier this month when a drone was landed on her deck in Scotland’s Rosyth dockyard without raising any alarm bells.

Queen Elizabeth, whose nickname is Big Lizzie, does not currently deploy aircraft, with F-35B Lightning fighter jets due to make their first trial flights next year. She is expected to be fully operational in 2020.