HMS Prince of Wales 'back in operation' by autumn says Defence Secretary following 'cannibalisation' accusations

The £3bn warship broke down last August a few miles out of Portsmouth Harbour shortly after leaving for the US to take part in exercises, and had to be manoeuvred back to the dock. The deployment had already been postponed from August 26 to August 27 following a technical fault, but the 65,000-tonne ship broke down quickly after it left the dockyard, surprising thousands of festival-goers who were attending Victorious Festival on Southsea Common.

The ship suffered a broken propeller shaft and it was taken to Rosyth in Scotland to undergo repairs in dry dock. As a result HMS Queen Elizabeth had to be sent to America in the place of HMS Prince of Wales where it carried out the training exercises which were planned.

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However since then accusations have been made that the Prince of Wales is currently undergoing ‘cannibalisation’, which is a Royal Navy term for when parts or equipment from one ship are taken and used for another vessel. During a session of questions to defence ministers in the Commons, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace insisted that the process was ‘perfectly normal’ and the warship would be back in full service by the autumn. The Defence Secretary was responding to SNP MP Douglas Chapman, Dunfermline and West Fife, who said: ‘HMS Prince of Wales currently lies in Rosyth for repairs, and I hear it’s being cannibalised for spare parts.

‘Will this £3bn asset be back in full operational duties by the end of this year?’

Mr Wallace said: ‘Yes, by the autumn. And by the way, cannibalisation – it is perfectly normal for ships to take ship’s stores from each other.

‘This is not being cannibalised because somehow the ship is off to be mothballed. This ship is going to be back in full service in autumn.’

Mr Wallace had earlier told the Commons that Ministry of Defence is ‘examining the liabilities and who should cough up’ for the ‘misalignment’ issues with the carrier’s propeller shaft.

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