Royal Navy's largest ever warship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, due to set sail . . . . .

LordSutch

HMS Queen Elizabeth has taken more than eight years to build and is the 1st of two new carriers for the Royal Navy; a second 'The Prince if Wales' will follow in two years time.

https://goo.gl/images/dbUptc

The HMS Queen Elizabeth is expected to sail in June 2017. Here are some facts about the Royal Navy's latest aircraft carrier.

She is 280m long - equivalent to the length of more than three football pitches, or almost twice the Big Ben - by 70m wide by 56m high.

http://news.sky.com/story/royal-navys-largest-ever-warship-hms-queen-elizabeth-sets-sail-10927338

https://goo.gl/images/21tjkn

Atlantic Dawn

I would have thought nuclear propulsion would have made more sense than diesel over the life of the carrier. Looking at the aircraft carriers of the world France are the only other country than the US with nuclear powered carriers, I always thought the Russians had one, cost must be prohibitive.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_carriers_in_service

knucklehead6

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

I would have thought nuclear propulsion would have made more sense than diesel over the life of the carrier. Looking at the aircraft carriers of the world France are the only other country than the US with nuclear powered carriers, I always thought the Russians had one, cost must be prohibitive.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_carriers_in_service

i'd say when the decommissioning costs are taken into consideration the diesel works out cheaper.

i know this is from wiki, so to be taken with a pinch of salt, but still...

wiki nimitz class wrote:

Nimitz-class carriers were designed to have a 50-year service life.[88] At the end of the service life, ships will be decommissioned. This process will first take place on Nimitz and is estimated to cost from $750 to $900 million. This compares with an estimate of $53 million for a conventionally powered carrier. Most of the difference in cost is attributed to the deactivation of the nuclear power plants and safe removal of radioactive material and other contaminated equipment.[89]

Atlantic Dawn

Yes the $700 million extra will buy a lot of diesel

knucklehead6

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Yes the $700 million extra will buy a lot of diesel

Certainly get you from Malin Head to Mizen Head with a bit to spare!

prinzeugen

Heading under the new crossing now.

http://forth-bridges.co.uk/queensferry-crossing/gallery-queens/admirals-house-webcam.html