Racing pigeon finds new home on Royal Navy carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth
and live on Freeview channel 276
Confused and exhausted, the bird sought sanctuary aboard the Royal Navy’s biggest warship, which is currently training with the UK’s sole operational F-35 stealth fighter squadron.
The pigeon landed on the vast flight deck of the ship while she was off East Anglia and settled down for the night in the cavernous hangar.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe sailors on watch found the bird as they were stowing the F-35 Lighting jets from 617 Squadron – The Dambusters – after a busy day of flying.
Air Engineering Technician Alexander Thomason said: ‘I was just putting the lashings on the jet when I looked up and saw this pigeon nestled behind the hangar gantry.
‘It appeared pretty pleased to be there if I’m honest. We’ve named her Pauley.’
After being given a bit of a run-around by the feathered stowaway, the team from HMS Queen Elizabeth managed to catch the bird and are now looking for a safe place onboard for it to live while they search for the owner.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdLt Cdr Jerome Pethrick, in charge of aircraft maintenance, said: ‘I know the hangar team would love to let the pigeon fly around all day but sadly (for them) it’s just not safe. We have to find somewhere without jet engines.’
HMS Queen Elizabeth has been at sea for the past few days conducting Carrier Sea Training with 617 Squadron from RAF Marham. It comes ahead of the global Carrier Strike Group 2021 deployment.
The ship will be taking good care of Pauley until they return home to Portsmouth at the end of June.
A message from the Editor
Thank you for reading this story on portsmouth.co.uk. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.
With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.
Subscribe to portsmouth.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit our Subscription page now to sign up.
Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.