Troubled HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier finally reaches dry dock for repairs

HMS Prince of Wales has finally reached a dry dock in Rosyth for repairs.

The damaged Royal Navy aircraft carrier arrived on Tuesday afternoon, a day after the 65,000-tonne vessel arrived in the Firth of Forth.

It follows a number of delays caused by mechanical problems.

The £3.2bn vessel had her departure from Portsmouth to the dock delayed by four days.

In August, the warship broke down off the Isle of Wight after leaving her home base to take part in flight trials and diplomatic visits in the US.

Inspections by divers and engineers found that the NATO flagship's 33-ton starboard propeller – the same weight as 30 Ford Fiesta cars – had malfunctioned with a coupling holding it in place breaking.

The carrier was taken back to Portsmouth for further examination by engineers from Babcock before the decision was taken for it to travel to Rosyth, where it was built, for repairs.

It is understood that the repairs could see the warship out of action for months, although the Navy has not confirmed this.