HMS Queen Elizabeth

Publication issued on behalf of the Royal Navy to commemorate the naming of the new aircraft carrier, Her Majesty's Ship (HMS) Queen Elizabeth, at Rosyth Dockyard, on July 4, 2014. 
In July 2014, the UK's largest ever warship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, was successfully floated out of the dock in which she was assembled. In an operation that started earlier this week, the dry dock in Rosyth near Edinburgh was flooded for the first time to allow the 65,000 tonne aircraft carrier to float. It then took only three hours to carefully manoeuvre the carrier out of the dock with just two metres clearance at either side and then berth her alongside a nearby jetty. Teams will now continue to outfit the ship and steadily bring her systems to life in preparation for sea trials in 2016. The dock she vacates will be used for final assembly of her sister ship, HMS Prince of Wales, which will begin in September. Both ships are being delivered by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, a unique partnership between the Ministry of Defence, Thales UK, BAE Systems, and Babcock.