The ship set sail for Norway last month but, according to reports, has been forced to port there delaying her departure for the US Declaration of Independence celebrations
HMS Prince of Wales, a huge £3.5billion aircraft carrier and the UK’s largest warship, has reportedly broke down once again.
The HMS Prince of Wales set sail from the Glen Mallan jetty, Loch Long, Argyll and Bute, for Nordic waters to provide security in the Atlantic and High North regions last month.
But, according to reports, the ship has been forced into port in Norway for repairs, delaying her departure for the celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence.
A senior naval source reportedly told the Daily Mail the carrier’s latest travails were ‘devastating for morale’.
The ship is generally based in Portsmouth. She weighs a staggering 65,000 tonnes and costs £3billion. The ship ran into problems back in 2022, when she encountered an “emerging mechanical issue” off the south coast, just one day into her voyage to the US.
The latest setback is said to be a ‘minor technical issue’ which required the 65,000-tonne carrier to dock in Stavanger, Norway.
The latest setback comes as Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton highlighted the soaring threat from Russia and the need to prepare the country’s armed forces for changes in the nature of warfare.
He said: “In my 35-year career, this is the most dangerous period that I have known. And, as a consequence, it is important that we enhance the capability and the readiness of our Armed Forces alongside our allies.
“To deter our adversaries from doing something daft.” His warning was made amid increasing alarm over whether Britain’s ‘hollowed out’ military is prepared for modern-day threats.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson told the Daily Mail: “HMS Prince of Wales is currently conducting a port visit to Stavanger.
“We expect her to set sail in the coming days.”
According to the carrier’s account on X, engineers and logisticians were working ‘tirelessly’ to ‘deliver effective maritime support’ – no official details on the fault have yet been released.
