(UK, LANKAPUVATH) –The UK’s new aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, is leaking because of a faulty seal.
The Royal Navy’s future flagship, which was commissioned by the Queen earlier this month in Portsmouth, has a problem with one of its propeller shafts.
The fault on the £3.1bn carrier was first identified during sea trials.
A Royal Navy spokesman said the ship was scheduled for repair and the fault did not prevent it from sailing again early in the new year.
According to the Sun newspaper, HMS Queen Elizabeth has been taking on up to 200 litres of sea water every hour because of the fault.
BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale said the problem was “highly embarrassing” for the Royal Navy and just one of a number of snags still to be rectified.
A Royal Navy spokesman said “an issue” with a shaft seal had been identified during HMS Queen Elizabeth’s sea trial and a repair was scheduled for when the carrier was in Portsmouth.
He added: “It does not prevent her from sailing again and her sea trials programme will not be affected.”
(BBC)
