British supercarrier misses NATO exercise due to propeller failure

The Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier was forced to abandon its mission at NATO's biggest exercise in 35 years due to a problem with its propeller shaft before leaving port.

"A routine pre-sail inspection has revealed a problem with the coupling on HMS Queen Elizabeth's starboard propeller shaft. The ship will not be able to leave port on February 4. The aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales will take her place and leave port as soon as possible to participate in Exercise Steadfast Defender," Chief of Naval Staff Andrew Burns said today.

The British Ministry of Defense confirmed on the same day that the incident was an isolated incident, unrelated to the propeller failure that forced the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales to cancel its mission to the US and wait for a tugboat to return to port for repairs 18 months ago.

"The propeller shaft of HMS Queen Elizabeth is too large to be manufactured in one piece. The manufacturer had to create three separate shaft sections, then join them together with joints. This is where the problem arose," said a spokesman for the British Ministry of Defense.

HMS Queen Elizabeth arrived at Portsmouth in early January. Photo: PA

In addition to missing out on a NATO exercise, experts have warned that the propeller failure of HMS Queen Elizabeth could prevent the British navy from deploying aircraft carriers in the Red Sea to counter the threat from Houthi forces in Yemen.

The Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, are the largest warships in British naval history and cost more than $4 billion each. However, both ships have suffered numerous technical problems, such as burst water pipes and broken fire hoses, forcing them to spend long periods of time in port for repairs.

Steadfast Defender 2024 begins on January 24 and runs until the end of May, involving units from all 31 NATO member states and candidate Sweden. The exercise will cover a range of operations stretching from North America to NATO’s eastern flank, near the border with Russia.

About 90,000 soldiers, 50 warships, 80 military aircraft and more than 1,100 combat vehicles will participate in the event. According to the original plan, HMS Queen Elizabeth will lead a strike group of eight naval vessels from the UK, US, Spain and Denmark.

The exercise, NATO’s biggest since 1988, comes as the alliance regroups amid the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. NATO has deployed thousands of troops to its eastern flank and drawn up its most far-reaching plans to counter Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Vu Anh (According to Standard )

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