Almost 2,000 tonnes of aircraft
HMS Queen Elizabeth passed under the Forth
Bridge on Friday, May 4.
On Friday May 4, the next large
section of the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth made its way under the Forth Bridge,
en route to Babcock’s Rosyth Dockyard.
The 1,820 tonne Lower Block 05
(LB05) is the lower stern section of the first of two ships under construction
by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance.
The block, which was constructed
in two parts at BAE Systems’ Portsmouth
shipyard, began its 600 mile journey to Fife
on May 25 on board a specialist barge called Viking Seven.
Programme Director, Geoff Searle,
said: “LB05 is the first section of HMS Queen Elizabeth to make its way from Portsmouth to Rosyth,
where the aircraft carriers are being assembled. It’s another huge milestone
for this programme and a real testament to the skills and hard work of the
teams in Portsmouth
where it has been under construction for the last 15 months.
“This section houses the rudder
horns, which will hold the rudders in place, main electrical switchboards and
hydraulic power packs for the steering system.”
When the section arrives at
Rosyth, the ‘Goliath’ crane will lift both parts into the dockyard. They will
be integrated with the rest of the ship later in the programme.
Although its weight is equivalent
to more than 150 double-decker buses, LB05 is far from the largest section
making its way up the Firth of Forth this year.
The aircraft carriers HMS Queen
Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales are being delivered by the Aircraft Carrier
Alliance, a unique partnering relationship between BAE Systems, Thales UK ,
Babcock and the UK Ministry of Defence.
Click HERE to see Lower Block 03 passing
under both Forth Bridges
Lower Block 05 is seen here
passing under both the Forth Bridges on her way to Rosyth.
