The 65,000-tonne warship remained in the south coast exercise area near the Isle of Wight as the Royal Navy conducts “investigations into an emerging mechanical issue”, a spokesman said on Sunday. They declined to comment further. Divers are inspecting the 930-foot carrier after damage was reported to a propeller shaft, according to the Navy Lookout news website. The vessel – Britain’s largest warship and Nato’s flagship – has had a history of problems, having run aground in Portsmouth in late 2020 after flooding in its engine room and damaging electrical systems. During its first two years in service, the carrier reportedly spent less than 90 days at sea after leaking twice in five months. It was to cross the Atlantic with its crew of 1,600, stopping in Halifax, Canada as well as New York and the Caribbean. The crew is scheduled to train with the US Army and Royal Canadian Navy in a program with F-35B jets and unmanned systems. The boat was given a lively send-off, passing the Victorious music festival on Southsea Common in Portsmouth amid a performance by the Sugababes. HMS Prince of Wales is part of the UK’s carrier strike group along with her sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth, which is due to deploy to the Baltic and Mediterranean this autumn. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Its first exercise, called Cold Response 22, was in the Arctic. It is expected to operate in a variety of environments, including humanitarian and disaster relief, as well as a high-intensity combat capability.
