Royal Navy flagship visits Argyll shores
Royal Navy flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth was in Argyll waters this week as she visited the Firth of Clyde for the second time since her launch in July 2014.
The huge 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier was last seen on the Clyde in March last year when she sailed to Loch Long to be loaded with ammunition ahead of her successful deployment with the Carrier Strike Group.
She returned to the loch on Monday March 14, berthing once again at Glen Mallan ammunitioning jetty which completed a £67 million upgrade to accommodate the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth carriers last year.
Captain Ian Feasey of HMS Queen Elizabeth said: ‘It is fantastic for the fleet flagship to be back in this spectacular region to make use of this upgraded facility supporting our role as the United Kingdom’s strike carrier.
‘The ship’s drumbeat of visits here over the coming years will punctuate the strong affiliation that we have with Scotland.’
Construction of HMS Queen Elizabeth began in 2009 with six shipyards around the UK involved in building different sections of the ship, which were then transported to Rosyth dockyard for assembly.
HM the Queen officially named the carrier in July 2014, with the vessel leaving the dry dock a few days later.
A series of successful sea trials followed to get the vessel to where she is now - one of the most capable and advanced aircraft carriers in the world.
The largest and most powerful vessel ever constructed for the Royal Navy, HMS Queen Elizabeth was at the centre of the Carrier Strike Group deployment in 2021.
Supported by eight other ships, a submarine, five air squadrons and some 3,700 personnel, the seven-month long deployment saw the ship visit more than 40 countries.
HMS Queen Elizabeth is visiting Glen Mallan as part of a routine logistics visit, after returning to sea as the UK’s Very High Readiness Strike Carrier.
The ship is using the transit from her home at Portsmouth and follow-on programme to test newly refurbished equipment and to continue to train as a team.
Upgrade of the Glen Mallan jetty – including the installation of navigational aids, fender space units, mooring dolphins and two new ammunitioning cranes – was overseen by the MoD’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation which worked with partners VokerStein and Jacobs.
The work also benefited local suppliers and small and medium enterprises in Scotland to the tune of £20m.