MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th August, 2022) The HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier, the United Kingdom's largest warship, which broke down soon after sailing off the British coast last week, had a damaged propeller shaft, the Royal Navy confirmed on Tuesday.
"Shortly after the ship sailed on Saturday, a mechanical fault was discovered with the starboard propeller shaft. I've been to the ship today to see for myself what the issue is and how we in the Royal Navy can work together to make sure the ship can successfully return to her tasking. After the initial assessment, it's likely that the fault will require repairs, which may impact the ship's program," Rear Adm. Steve Moorhouse said in a video message posted on the navy's Twitter account.
The British navy is still working to determine the degree of the malfunction, the Telegraph reported. The carrier may be returned to the port and undergo a lengthy inspection in dry dock, according to the news agency. Earlier on Tuesday, the vessel was moved from the Sandown anchorage to nearby Stokes Bay for a more detailed inspection, the media outlet added.
On Saturday, the 65,000-tonne warship worth $3.5-billion left the Portsmouth port in southern England and was on its way for a four-month deployment to the United States when it suddenly broke down. A right propeller shaft could be damaged on the aircraft carrier, the Navy Lookout media outlet reported.
This is not the first incident with the vessel: in 2020, HMS Prince of Wales, NATO's flagship carrier, was out of order for six months due to flooding of its engine room. Then the scheduled departure of the ship to the US was canceled and the aircraft carrier was stranded in the port of Portsmouth.
