Cursed Royal Navy aircraft carrier could be out of action for months during repairs costing MILLIONS

THE ROYAL Navy’s cursed £3 billion aircraft carrier could spend months out of action for repairs costing millions as engineers prepare a dry dock.

HMS Prince of Wales faces limping to Rosyth, Scotland, so that the ship’s faulty propeller shaft can be fixed.

PA

The vessel has had a history of problems including suffering floods in its engine room in 2020[/caption]

The 65,000 tonne NATO flagship made it less than 10 miles out of its Portsmouth base on Saturday before breaking down in the Solent after the crew noticed the glitch.

Divers inspected the vessel yesterday (Tues) after she moved to shallower waters in Stokes Bay. She will likely be accompanied by tug boats up to Scotland for major repairs.

Navy bosses could now send the carrier’s sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth out to replace the stricken Prince of Wales on a training exercise with the US and Canadian fleets.

A navy source told The Sun: “Without its propeller working properly, the carrier is useless.

“She’ll have to go to dry dock for several months to make sure she’s properly fixed up. It’ll be an expensive job that’s for sure.

“The top brass are thinking of sending Queen Elizabeth to replace Prince of Wales so that the exercise can go ahead.

“When you consider how many issues as a ship she’s had, the whole thing is another embarrassment.”

The vessel has had a history of problems including suffering floods in its engine room in 2020.

During its first two years in service, the ship spent less than 90 days at sea.

And last month The Sun revealed how the carrier’s commanding officer, Captain Steve Higham, was suspended over claims he invited lone female sailors into his quarters for “mentoring”.

Rear Admiral Steve Moorhouse said: “Shortly after the ship sailed on Saturday a mechanical fault was discovered with the starboard shaft.

“I’ve been to the ship today to see for myself what the issue is and how we in the Royal Navy can work together to make sure that the ship can successfully return to her tasking.

“After an initial assessment it’s likely the fault will require repairs, which may impact the ship’s programme.

“The ship is now moving to a more sheltered anchorage for further inspection and then we’ll be able to provide further comment on the nature of the issue and the impact to her current schedule.

“We’ve reacted quickly to the emerging defect and are working closely with industry partners to resolve this as soon as we can.

“Rest assured, the Royal Navy continues to meet its commitment, to deliver operations and to keep the UK, our partners and allies safe.”