Tight squeeze

Crowds gathered to watch the Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, edge her way out of Her Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Portsmouth for the first time since her arrival in August. The new ship was heading back to sea for the second stages of her sea trials. Flight trials involving the new F-35B Lightning II multi-role fighters are expected to take place off the coast of the United States next year. The supercarrier was built in Rosyth in Fife at a cost of £3 billion and is due to come into service in the early 2020s. At 900ft (280m) long and weighing 65,000 tons, she is the largest warship ever built for the Royal Navy and can carry 40 aircraft.