HMS Prince Of Wales Undergoes Repairs After Flood

The Queen Elizabeth-class carrier is being repaired at Portsmouth Naval Base following a flood on board.7th December 2020 at 2:20pm

Britain’s second aircraft carrier is undergoing repairs after a flood in an engine room.

HMS Prince of Wales is alongside at HM Naval Base Portsmouth as the repairs are carried out, a Royal Navy spokesman said.

“The ship’s company are getting ready to sail for further training and trials in 2021,” the spokesman added.

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According to a report in The Sun newspaper, the flood 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 over 24 hours’.

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

However, the Navy said it does not comment on changes to the ship’s programmes or on the detail of the material state of the vessel.

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In October, personnel removed water from a compartment on the ship following a leak on the aircraft carrier caused by an “internal system”.

Whilst in May, an investigation was carried out on the vessel after a pipe leak caused an ankle-high flood on board.

Last year, HMS Queen Elizabeth, HMS Prince of Wales’ sister ship, suffered a major leak which caused more than 200 tonnes of water to enter the ship.

The project to build the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers has cost more than £6bn.

Cover image: Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales pictured in 2019 (Picture: PA).