Image of the Day: Sneak Peak at Prince of Wales Aircraft Carrier’s Bow

The Royal Navy leaked a photo of its next generation aircraft carrier’s bow section on its social media. The Prince of Wales is the second Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy currently under construction at Rosyth Royal dockyard and is expected to join the fleet in 2018.

The giant vessel, three times the size of the Invincible Class Aircraft Carriers, will be the most powerful ship built in the UK, along with its sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth.

A key driver is the carriers’ cutting-edge weapons handling system, which can move armaments to the flight deck six times faster, bringing the number of people required to operate the system down from 160 to just 48 crew members.

Key Facts

Displacement: 65,000 tonnes
Length: 280 metres
Maximum beam: 70 metres
Top speed: 25 knots
Range: 10,000 miles
Crew size: 679
Embarked forces: up to 921

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Press Release, May 21, 2014, Image: Royal Navy