One of the most powerful surface warships ever constructed in the UK recently set sail.
The 65,000-tonne warship left the basin at Rosyth Dockyard on the Forth, ready to begin sea trials.
Due to the sheer size of the vessel, a highly choreographed operation to manoeuvre the ship from the none-tidal basin in Rosyth Dock Yard to Romeo 1 Anchorage was in place which required assistance by no less than 9 tugs, including Briggs Marine vessels, the Forth Warrior and Forth Jouster.
The timescale of operation for both vessels was approximately 8 hours.
HMS Prince of Wales and the Forth Warrior
The HMS Prince of Wales flight deck is 70 metres wide and 280 metres long – enough space for three football pitches – and she holds 45 days’ worth of food in stores.
When fully operational she will have 700 crew on board, increasing to approximately 1600 with aircraft onboard.
HMS Prince of Wales has been under construction for close to 10 years, with 3-year assembly time in the dry dock.
This is not the first time the Forth Warrior and Forth Jouster supported an aircraft carrier. The HMS Queen Elizabeth was assisted in a similar fashion in 2017 when the Forth Jouster was lifted over the Carrier by the Big Blue Crane (Goliath) at Rosyth Dockyard when HMS Queen Elizabeth was towed out of dry dock to a fit-out berth within the non-tidal basin.
Forth Warrior and HMS Prince of Wales
The HMS Queen Elizabeth is currently crossing the Atlantic to begin operation trials in the USA.
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All images MoD © Crown copyright 2019