Queen Elizabeth Carriers | Royal Navy

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Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers are the biggest warships ever built for the Royal Navy – and the most advanced. They’re our nation’s flagships, and will be for the next 50 years, as they embark on our most vital global deployments.

HMS Queen Elizabeth has already been accepted to the fleet, while HMS Prince of Wales is still under construction at Rosyth dockyard in Scotland. Each represents four acres of sovereign territory and serves as a symbol of our international influence.

WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW

UK takes delivery of final F-35B Lightning of this year

The UK has taken delivery of its 14th F-35B Lightning II which flew into Beaufort, South Carolina, to take its place as part of the Lightning Fleet, set to operate from HMS Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales.

Britain's second aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales afloat for the first time

HMS Prince of Wales has been floated and moved to her fitting-out berth at Rosyth.

Her Majesty The Queen welcomes HMS Queen Elizabeth into the Royal Navy fleet

Her Majesty The Queen has today commissioned the UK's new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth into the Royal Navy.

Weapons engineer wins top innovation award

A talented Electronic Technician has been awarded the Herbert Lott Innovation and Invention Award for pioneering a ground-breaking mapping system on board HMS Queen Elizabeth.

WORLD-CLASS CAPABILITIES

Carrier Strike Exercise a success

Exercise Saxon Warrior has offered an unparalleled opportunity for the Royal Navy to rehearse the coordination of the various ships, aircraft and submarines that will form the UK's Carrier Strike Group.

Andrew Betton

Commodore

THE BIG ARRIVAL

Take a look at how Britain's future flagship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, sailed into her home port of Portsmouth for the first time.

DISCOVER THE SHIPS

HMS Queen Elizabeth

Undergoing her sea trails, HMS Queen Elizabeth is the first of the UK's new class of aircraft carrier.

HMS Prince of Wales

Under construction at Rosyth, HMS Prince of Wales is the second of the two aircraft carriers.

The Best of British Engineering

What does it take to construct the largest, most advanced British warship ever built? An unprecedented amount of equipment and the expertise of thousands of people across the UK. Like the HMS Queen Elizabeth itself, the effort required to build it was incredibly ambitious and huge in scale.

6

The number of British shipyards involved in building HMS Queen Elizabeth

3,000

The number of people working at Rosyth, with 8,000 more across the UK

68

The height of the ship in metres. It's also 120 metres wide.

250,000

The amount of kilometres of electric cable used on board

PLAY YOUR PART

KAY, 27

Engineering Technician (Weapon Engineering) on HMS Queen Elizabeth

QEC not only firmly confirms us as leading international power, it also gives us potential to provide a worldclass environment for our most fearsome weapons

ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN (MARINE ENGINEERING)

Be a key part of the immense engineering effort that goes into powering our ships, keeping every operation on track and making some essential missions possible.

Chef

Our world-class training means you'll learn all the ins and outs of running a highly efficient commercial kitchen, including responsibility for ordering, receiving, and accounting for provisions to sustain the menus you'll write.

Writer Logistician

Become an invaluable part of the behind-the-scenes team who keep the ship's company running smoothly.

Warfare Specialist

Act as the eyes and ears of the ship. You'll work with our most advanced war-fighting equipment on a daily basis, providing information that influences major tactical decisions.

OUR GLOBAL REACH

F35 Joint Strike Fighter

The F35 Lightning II will provide the ultimate punch of the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.

Tide class tankers

The 37,000 tonne ships will maintain the Royal Navy’s dedicated bulk fuel Replenishment At Sea capabilities.

Gallery

Royal Navy marks centenary of carrier aviation

See all 10 images

THINKING ABOUT APPLYING?

If you already know the role you're interested in and have checked your eligibility, you can start your application below. If you are looking for further information about the Naval Service then register your interest.

Start application Register your interest