HMS Queen Elizabeth finally expected to leave Portsmouth today after delay setbacks

The 65,000-tonne warship is earmarked to leave Portsmouth Naval Base at 3.25pm, the city’s Queen’s Harbour Master announced.

The 918ft leviathan, one of two built new aircraft carriers built for the Royal Navy, will be guided out of Portsmouth’s historic harbour by a fleet of six super-powered tug boats.

With about 1,700 people embarked on board, the £3.1bn warship is expected to head to the North Sea for her final test before being declared fully fit for war.

HMS Queen Elizabeth will join forces with a task group made up of two Type 45 destroyers from Portsmouth, two Type 23 frigates, a Royal Navy submarine, American destroyer, Dutch frigate and two support ships from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

About a dozen British and American F-35B stealth jets will also join the carrier at sea in the largest number of the hi-tech warplanes ever to operate from the vessel.

They will work alongside a number of Merlin helicopters already on board the aircraft carrier in a series of increasingly complex and demanding drills at sea.

The training is seen as the final hurdle for both ship and crew to overcome before being declared fit to lead a naval task group at sea.

The departure comes after about 100 members of the ship's company were placed into self-isolation on the ship following an outbreak of coronavirus on among the crew.

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The virus, which is understood to have infected ‘fewer than 10’ of the ship’s company, delayed the ship's venture to sea earlier this month.

Last week, she had been expected to set sail on Wednesday but was delayed to Friday – and postponed once more, at the 11th hour, due to a ‘strong easterly wind’.

Armed forces minister James Heappey insisted every effort had been taken to limit the spread of the infection on the ship.

Responding to a parliamentary question, the Tory minister said: ‘Extensive Covid-19 quarantine and testing procedures were developed and successfully employed, prior to sailing in UK waters, and these continue to be refined.

‘Although there was a two-day delay for HMS Queen Elizabeth sailing, extant measures have proven our ability to detect, contain and manage Covid-19 ahead of bringing the strike group together.

‘We remain on track, ensuring our ability to deliver training exercises, declare Initial Operating Capability (Carrier Strike) and conduct the first operational deployment in 2021, all as scheduled.’

HMS Queen Elizabeth is due to remain at sea for several weeks.

She will deploy on her first operational mission early next year.

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