HMS Queen Elizabeth leaves Portsmouth after Covid-19 outbreak among crew delays Royal Navy ship's training

Hundreds of people lined the harbour walls in Old Portsmouth to wave off the £3.1bn aircraft carrier, with dozens of families packing the Round Tower – the traditional vantage point to see off navy ships.

The 65,000-tonne warship had meant to leave Portsmouth Naval Base on Monday afternoon for training exercises, but the departure was canned at the 11th hour.

Hopes had been high the ship would sail again on Tuesday, but this departure was also postponed as the navy sought to deal with the outbreak among the crew.

A spokesman from the Ministry of Defence insisted a ‘small number – fewer than 10’ members of the 1,000-strong crew – had tested positive for Covid-19 and had been taken ashore to be put in isolation in barracks.

Other sailors who had contact with their infected shipmates will isolate on board the 920ft warship.

Sources in the navy told The News that all the crew still on board would remain in a ‘social bubble’ and isolated from the outside world during their latest stint at sea.

Families of sailors insisted they were confident the navy could handle the outbreak of Covid-19 among the crew.

Janet Lagdon’s grandson, Lieutenant Alfie Pace, is a navigator on board the aircraft carrier.

The 80-year-old, of Portchester, said: ‘We have no worries at all about him being on there. They’re all pretty healthy on the ship.’

Lieutenant Pace’s dad, Julian, 62, travelled from Edinburgh to see off his son. He added: ‘He joined the ship in May and I’m very proud of him.’

The huge vessel, the biggest ever built for the Royal Navy, is expected to be at sea for a few days, where the crew will carry out additional training.

She is due to return to Portsmouth next week to take on stores before setting off to join a multinational task force where UK and US F-35B stealth jets will be embarked for the final phase of drills before the carrier’s maiden operational mission next year.

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The carrier’s coronavirus outbreak is its second this year, following two positive cases among the crew in April which delayed a previous training trip.

Yesterday, a person swimming across the main shipping lane at the harbour’s mouth was intercepted by a military police boat and ordered to swim to the shore.

The area was closed to all water traffic to enable the carrier to exit the narrow harbour safely.

It is aiming to declare strike carrier capability later this year ahead of its first operational deployment in 2021.

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