HMS Prince of Wales: How Royal Navy carrier got her name, cost, captain, how many crew, size, where was she built and everything else you need to know

She is the sister ship of future Royal Navy fleet flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth, which is currently on deployment in America for Westlant 19. 

As HMS Prince of Wales sails into her home base in Portsmouth, here’s everything you need to know about her: 

What type of warship is she? 

HMS Prince of Wales is the Royal Navy’s second Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier. 

She is the same class as HMS Queen Elizabeth. 

How did she get her name? 

This HMS Prince of Wales is the seventh ship to bear the name Prince of Wales. 

The first was a 74-gun third rate launched in 1765 and the most recent before the new carrier was a King George V-class battleship launched in 1939 and was sunk in a Japanese airstrike in 1941.

She gets her name from the title traditionally granted to the heir apparent of the British monarch – so HMS Prince of Wales is not directly named after Prince Charles, the current Prince of Wales. 

How much did HMS Prince of Wales cost? 

The project to build the two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers – so HMS Prince of Wales and her sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth – had a combined budget of £6.2 billion. 

Who is her captain? 

The current commanding officer of HMS Prince of Wales is Captain Darren Houston. 

How many crew members will HMS Prince of Wales have? 

The carrier will have a crew complement of 700 which can be increased to around 1,600 with aircraft onboard.

How big is HMS Prince of Wales? 

She is 284m long and 70m wide, so she has enough space for three football pitches. 

HMS Prince of Wales weighs 65,000 tonnes. 

Where was she built? 

The parts for HMS Prince of Wales and her sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth were built at seven shipyards including at BAE Systems in Portsmouth, as well as ones in Glasgow, Rosyth, Appledore in North Devon, Hebburn and Birkenhead. 

She was then assembled at the Babock shipyard in Rosyth. 

HMS Prince of Wales was laid down in May 2011 and launched in December 2017 when she was floated out of Rosyth drydock for the first time.

Are you excited for her arrival in Portsmouth? Let us know in the comments below.