HMS Prince of Wales in dock for repairs more often than at sea: Report
Since its commissioning in 2019, the largest ship in the British fleet has spent 267 days only at sea while Christmas Eve was its 268th day in repairs.
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The UK aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, the largest ship in the British fleet
The UK aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, the largest ship in the British fleet, has been docked for repairs more often than operating at sea since being commissioned in 2019, The Times reported on Monday.
According to the newspaper, problems with the warship's functioning began as early as 2020. First, the carrier suffered a leak in the engine room, then the collapse of an accommodation block. The ship has been languishing lately in a Scottish dockyard after breaking down off the Isle of Wight due to a propeller shaft problem in August.
The Times highlighted, citing a UK Defense Department analysis, that the carrier has spent 267 days at sea, while Christmas Eve was its 268th day in repairs.
The UK's other aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, has replaced the Prince of Wales on overseas missions, despite the fact that the ships were to alternate every eight months, the report indicated.
The newspaper quoted a Royal navy spokesperson as saying that "repairs to HMS Prince of Wales’s starboard shaft are expected to be completed by spring."
The £3.2 billion ($3.9 billion) ship "will then return to Portsmouth for a pre-planned maintenance period," the spokesperson added.
Earlier this month, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, chief of the Defense Staff, admitted in a lecture that the HMS Prince of Wales has been a source of "deeply frustrating" problems, adding that such megaships "are massive capital projects where sometimes things will go wrong."
It is noteworthy that the Royal Navy describes the HMS Prince of Wales as "one of the most powerful surface warships ever constructed in the UK."
