Posted on 07/04/2014 6:43:39 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
The UK Royal Navy’s first new aircraft carrier has been formally named the HMS Queen Elizabeth, during a ceremony at Rosyth dockyard near Edinburgh, Scotland.
Performed on 4 July by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the milestone marks the completion of the lead vessel’s 65,000t structure, with the Aircraft Carrier Alliance also having started the flood-up of its dry dock before the ship will be floated out later this month.
First Sea Lord Adm Sir George Zambellas says the new carrier’s role “will be global, strategic and one of inter-service and international partnership.” Current plans call for the Queen Elizabeth to be in use for 50 years, he adds.
With the RN currently without any fixed-wing carrier-based aircraft, the event included a flypast by the Royal Air Force's Red Arrows aerobatic display team, several of the UK's current military helicopter types, and three BAE Systems Hawk T1s. A planned appearance by classic Fleet Air Arm types including a de Havilland Sea Vixen and Supermarine Seafire fell foul of a low cloud base.
Craig Hoyle/Flightglobal
An aspiration to have a Lockheed Martin F-35B Joint Strike Fighter participate was also thwarted, since the three examples due to visit the UK for the first time to appear at the Royal International Air Tattoo and Farnborough International Airshow later this month have yet to leave the USA.
Lockheed says the two US Marine Corps aircraft and one UK example, which are now at NAS Patuxent River in Maryland, are “well within the arrival window” to participate in both shows. They had been due to begin their Atlantic crossing earlier this week, supporting by a USMC KC-130J tanker.
If they ever build another U.S. carrier and name it after mac daddy it will be called the USS LIAR and it will really only be a row boat that is fitting for its namesake.
USS Lump of Excrement.
Is this the one they can’t afford to put planes on?
Well that’s a big surprise would have thought it!!!
An aircraft carrier with no aircraft. Maybe we could loan them a few Harriers to tide them over.
If, on the other hand, the lefties choose to name it after the _resident, would it be called the USS Barry Obama, the USS Barry Soetoro or the USS Frank Marshall Davis Jr?
Will they even have enough money to take it out to sea?
Will be the closest thing to our 100K ton Nimitz-class carrier on the seas.
What could possible more descriptive than the USS Swish?
An aircraft carrier named after Obama would be half aircraft carrier, half garbage barge.
The U.S. currently has one or two carriers under construction, with more planned.
Yes! Very apt, very concise! Good name.
The USS Hussein, will have a “bow” at both ends.
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