HMS Prince Of Wales: Repairs To Aircraft Carrier To Cost £3.3m

Repairs to damaged Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales are expected to cost £3.3m.

A Navy spokesman said earlier this month that the £3.1bn vessel was alongside at Portsmouth Naval Base undergoing repairs after a flood in an engine room.

Minister for Defence Procurement Jeremy Quin confirmed the costs of the works in response to a written Parliamentary question from the Labour MP for Portsmouth South, Stephen Morgan.

Mr Quin said: "The estimated incremental cost of the repair work is £3.3 million.

"Remedial work being conducted on both Queen Elizabeth-class carriers to help prevent a repetition of this event is expected to cost £2.2m."

The flood on HMS Prince of Wales happened in October.

According to a report in The Sun earlier this month, it was caused by 'a burst fire main' which resulted in 'thousands of gallons of seawater' pouring into an engine room and submerging 'electrical cabinets for more than 24 hours'.

The report in the newspaper added that the aircraft carrier 'will be stranded for another six months'.

Also responding to a question from Mr Morgan, Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said the aircraft carrier would not return to sea until May next year.

He said: "HMS Prince of Wales will return to sea in May 2021 to commence preparations for her next planned operational tasking.

"This underway period will take the form of activities in UK waters prior to her undertaking NATO Command duties in 2022."

A Royal Navy spokesperson said: "HMS Prince of Wales is preparing to conduct further training and trials while HMS Queen Elizabeth will sail in 2021 for her inaugural deployment to the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean and East Asia region.

"Together they will form a world-class sovereign Carrier Strike capability that will protect the UK and its interests for decades to come."

The two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers are the biggest and most powerful ships ever built for the Royal Navy, together costing more than £6bn.

HMS Prince of Wales' sister ship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, suffered a major leak in July 2019, with more than 200 tonnes of water pouring into the vessel.

HMS Prince of Wales commissioned into the Navy fleet in December last year, while HMS Queen Elizabeth is set to deploy on operations for the first time next year. 

HMS Queen Elizabeth is set to deploy on operations for the first time next year, while HMS Prince of Wales commissioned into the Navy fleet in December last year.

Flooding video footage courtesy Forces Compare.