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BAE Systems has fitted the first propulsion motor to the stern section of the first Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier at its shipyard in Govan, Scotland.
It was the first of four motors to be installed, BAE said, with the remaining three due to be delivered to Govan later this year.
The Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers will be the biggest warships ever constructed in the UK, providing the armed forces with a four acre military operating base that can be deployed worldwide. The ships will be 65,000 tonnes at full displacement – over three times the size of the current Invincible-class aircraft carriers – and have a range of 8,000 to 10,000 nautical miles. Each propulsion motor weighs 110 tonnes and has a power output of 20,000 kW.
The installation of the propulsion motor was followed by the installation of the first set of diesel generators, also in the stern section. The section is one of the largest and most complex sections of the carrier and will weigh in at almost 11,500 tonnes when fully outfitted, BAE said.
Each Queen Elizabeth class carrier will feature two Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbines and four diesel generator sets giving a total installed power of 109MW. This power will be used for each ship’s domestic, operational and propulsion systems. The power and propulsion system includes stabilisers, shaft lines and two 33 tonne propellers.
The separation and distribution of power generation machinery throughout each ship gives the carriers increased survivability, according to BAE.
Steven Carroll, Queen Elizabeth class project director at BAE Systems, said: “We’re starting to see real momentum on the carrier programme and the installation of the propulsion unit and diesel generators shows the remarkable progress that’s being made.”