British aircraft carrier berth renamed

Buckingham Palace, the London residence of the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom, has agreed Princess Royal Jetty as the new name for the berth at Portsmouth Naval Base which will accommodate the 65,000-tonne HMS Queen Elizabeth.

The jetty, currently known as Middle Slip Jetty, is being strengthened and upgraded to support the carrier which is due to arrive in Portsmouth in early 2017.

Naval Base Commander, Commodore Jeremy Rigby, said: “We are delighted that Her Majesty The Queen has agreed to the Royal Navy’s request to rename the jetty.

“The Princess Royal, as Commodore-in-Chief for Portsmouth, is a frequent visitor to the base and takes a keen interest in all of our activities here.”

He added: “It also sends an important message that the Naval Base is moving into a new and exciting era. There is a step change in the way that we support and operate our ships compared to yesteryear.”

It is hoped The Princess Royal will formally name the jetty in a ceremony towards the end of the year.

Once they enter the service, HMS Queen Elizabeth and her sister ship HMS Prince of Wales will be the biggest warships the Royal Navy has ever operated.

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