Countdown Begins for UK Aircraft Carrier Naming

The countdown to the naming of the U.K. Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier has begun today, marking 100 days until the major milestone in the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier program.

HMS Queen Elizabeth will be officially named by Her Majesty The Queen in a ceremony at Rosyth on Friday, July 4. The naming of the first of class comes five years after first steel was cut on the ship in July 2009 at BAE Systems in Glasgow and only 33 months since the first section entered the dry dock at Rosyth marking the start of her assembly.

Ian Booth, Queen Elizabeth Class Program Director at the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, said, “The excitement around the naming of HMS Queen Elizabeth continues to grow and the daily countdown will undoubtedly add further momentum to this. We’re working hard to prepare the ship and plan the celebrations which will mark this significant phase in the program to deliver the nation's flagships.

"Getting to this point is testament to the hard work and commitment of everyone involved in the program, from the teams across the ACA to our suppliers in every region of the country."

With the vessel now structurally complete, outfitting work continues on HMS Queen Elizabeth in the lead up to her naming and subsequent flood up which will take place in mid-July. Meanwhile, work continues on sections of HMS Queen Elizabeth’s sister ship, HMS Prince of Wales at sites across the U.K., with assembly at Rosyth beginning later this year.

The aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales are being delivered by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, a unique partnering relationship between BAE Systems, Thales U.K., Babcock and the U.K. Ministry of Defense.

The QE Class will be the centre piece of Britain’s naval capability. Each 65,000-metric-ton aircraft carrier will provide the armed forces with a four acre military operating base which can be deployed worldwide. The vessels will be versatile enough to be used for operations ranging from supporting war efforts to providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief.

baesystems.com