HMS Prince of Wales heads to US for naval exercises

HMS Prince of Wales is fixed, the head of the Royal Navy has declared, as the “phenomenal” aircraft carrier prepares to sail to the US after a year of repairs, Report informs referring to The Times.

Admiral Sir Ben Key, the first sea lord, said the carrier was ready to sail again after £25 million worth of work.

“She’s fixed,” Key said. “It’s a fantastic ship, it’s the most modern aircraft carrier in the world.” Last year the 931ft-long vessel was heading to New York when it broke down off the coast of the Isle of Wight due to the misalignment of the ship’s starboard propeller shaft.

The carrier’s sister ship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, was scrambled as a replacement while HMS Prince of Wales limped back to Babcock’s shipyard in Rosyth.

HMS Prince of Wales and Queen Elizabeth are the most modern aircraft carriers in the world, the publication quotes the commander of the United Kingdom Navy, Admiral Ben Key.

The UK is one of the few naval powers in the world to have fifth-generation aircraft carriers, which will long shape the nature of the country’s contribution to NATO and wider alliances and partnerships, the admiral said.