A fire on board the Royal Navy’s ill-fated HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier resulted in ten sailors requiring medical treatment, it has been confirmed.
The blaze tore through mess decks and crew sleeping areas, destroyed a total of 100 beds.
Insiders have said the fire stared in an air conditionin gunion on the vessel just after 11pm last Friday.
Crew used extinguishers to battle the flames, with compartments were sealed off to prevent the fire from spreading.
The flames were eventually brought under control at 4.30am the next day.
One source told The Sun: “The order came to clear lower decks after the fire broke out and everyone mustered in the hangar for a headcount.
“Some sailors were drunk as they were off-duty and it was Friday night. Those that were fit enough were given jobs to help with the fire.
“Sprinkler systems eventually extinguished it.”
The ship, built at a cost of £3.2 billion, was moored in Glenmallan in Scotland in order to unload ammunition when the blaze erupted.
A Royal Navy spokesman said: “An isolated fire was quickly brought under control.
“This will have no impact on HMS Queen Elizabeth’s commitments.”
The 65,000-ton carrier hit the headlines last month when it was forced to pull out of NATO military exercises with a faulty propeller shaft.
She also suffered leaks in 2017 and 2019 and three years ago one of her jets toppled into the sea.
