The HMS Queen Elizabeth was constructed alongside its sister ship HMS Prince of Wales as part of the Royal Navy’s elite new warships. The ship, the largest and most powerful vessel ever constructed for the Royal Navy, entered into service in 2020.
It was designed to be the Royal Navy’s principal ship, meaning she will carry senior naval staff, receive foreign dignitaries, and serve as a command and control centre for the entire Royal Navy.
The extraordinary powerplant charging the ship’s two propellers generates enough power to run 1,000 family cars.
The state-of-the-art ship can carry 40 fighter jets, with lifts onboard able to take four F-35 fighter jets from the hangar to the flight deck in under a minute.
The flight deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth boasts an enormous four acres, and can fit three football pitches.
The ship, currently led by Captain William King OBE, can host an incredible 1,600 crew members when aircraft are embarked and typically operates with 700 crew members on board.
Those Royal Navy crew members can enjoy the five gyms spread across the vessel.
This even includes a boxing ring, ping pong tables, and even a pub to enjoy.
The pub, named the Queen’s Head, is located in the warrant officers’ and senior rates’ mess area.
Commodore Jerry Kyd said of the pub: “It’s a vital component. This is our home, and this is where you relax.”
There is also room for a chapel and a medical centre on board the enormous warship, which is based at HMNB Portsmouth.
This comes as a former Royal Navy commander urged the UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps to deploy the gigantic warship to the Red Sea.
Tom Sharpe told Force News that Mr Shapps should “get the carrier out the door” immediately to counter Houthis’ attack on commercial ships on the trade route.
He said: “We’ve got these billion dollar assets, they’re great, we’ve got a very high-readiness carrier in HMS Queen Elizabeth – if not now, then when?”
The situation in the strategically vital southern Red Sea is at a stand-off.
The Bab al-Mandab strait is a critical waterway through which almost 15 percent of global trade passes.
