Flexing Muscles at Russia? Britain's Aircraft Carrier Breaks Down First
This is already not the first time the Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier has suffered damage.
On the 5th, the UK's Daily Telegraph reported that the Royal Navy’s HMS Prince of Wales experienced a malfunction during a NATO exercise, forcing it to dock in Norway for repairs.
Although the UK Ministry of Defence insisted the issue was “just a minor problem,” sources told British media that the fault was likely related to the carrier’s propeller shaft—and that this incident “appears to have been caused by previous issues.”
If it truly is another problem with the propeller shaft, then it’s hardly surprising, as this isn’t an isolated accident but rather an inherent flaw in both of the Queen Elizabeth-class carriers built by Britain.
A 2023 report submitted by the UK Ministry of Defence to Parliament admitted that the HMS Prince of Wales had a misalignment in its starboard propeller shaft since construction, and further inspections revealed a similar deviation in the port shaft; meanwhile, the HMS Queen Elizabeth was similarly affected, being forced to withdraw from a NATO exercise in 2024 due to propeller shaft failure.
Now that the HMS Prince of Wales has relapsed into its old ailment, it only confirms that the major overhauls conducted by the Royal Navy over recent years have failed to resolve this long-standing issue.
Even more ironically, according to British media, this NATO exercise was intended “to demonstrate NATO’s strong and powerful military might to Russia.” Yet, in the end, Britain’s carrier ended up being “demonstrated” into a repair dock in Norway—such an embarrassing scene even prompted British media to admit that the incident dealt a “devastating blow” to the morale of British naval personnel.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1867341731824656/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.