HMS Prince of Wales will lead Carrier Strike Group 25 on a deployment to the Pacific.
The Prince of Wales has suffered many propulsion issues (it’s a non-nuclear carrier) and engineering casualties.
Non-nuclear carrier operations in war in the 21st century rely on static port refueling or underway POL replenishment. In peacetime, just dandy. In wartime in the missile age we live in, a disaster in the making. No port will be safe and no “blue water anchorage” for logistical refit will be safe. My forecast: the HMS Prince of Wales will not complete this task.
They will suffer an existential engineering casualty.This is a huge risk because towing it back to the UK will be no mean task if they don’t choose to do repairs in the Pacific, possibly in Australia.
If it makes the deployment and returns to the UK with no issues, I will gladly admit being wrong.
The Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, specifically HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, are the largest warships ever built for the Royal Navy.
Here are some of the main problems:
Cost overruns: The project was initially estimated to cost around $4 billion, but the final cost was around $8 billion. This is a significant increase, and the project has been criticized for poor cost management.
Delays: The carriers were initially scheduled to be commissioned in 2016 and 2018, respectively. However, they were delayed several times, with HMS Queen Elizabeth being commissioned in 2017 and HMS Prince of Wales being commissioned in 2019.
Technical issues: The carriers have experienced several technical issues, including problems with the propulsion system, electrical systems, and communication systems. These issues have led to delays and cancellations of sea trials. Lack of operational capability: The carriers are not yet fully operational, and it is expected to take several years to achieve full operational capability. This is due to a range of factors, including the need for additional training and the development of new procedures.
Limited air defense capabilities: The carriers do not have a dedicated air defense system, which is a concern for some analysts. This means that the ships rely on other vessels or air defense systems to provide protection against aerial threats. Necessarily, this plagues all modern carriers in the missile age.
2022 engineering casualty on the carrier:
https://t.co/vnGb6L6MDX
