Rayleigh and Wickford MP and Armed Forces Minister, Mark Francois was present at Rosyth Dockyard recently to witness the naming ceremony of HMS Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s largest ever warship, weighing in at 65,000 tonnes.
The ship was named by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, who christened it with a bottle of 25 year old Bowmore malt scotch. HMS Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s newest aircraft carrier, was built in sections at a number of shipyards around the UK and the various sections were then taken to the large dry docks at Rosyth where they were put through final assembly by Scottish shipyard workers.
The ship has now been floated out from the dry dock, into the Firth of Fourth, where she will begin "fitting out" for additional equipment prior to commencing sea trials in 2016 and air trials (armed with the new F35 Fighter Aircraft) in 2018. The ship will then be followed into service by her sister ship, HMS Prince of Wales, which will now begin construction in the dry dock left vacant by HMS Queen Elizabeth.
Commenting on the naming ceremony, Mark Francois said:
"Seeing this marvellous warship being named by the Queen and knowing that she will soon enter service in the Royal Navy made me immensely proud to be British. This is the biggest warship we have ever built in our country’s history and one of the most powerful aircraft carriers in the world. It was wonderful to be a part of it and to see the joy on the faces of the workers who have put so much into building such a fine ship. She will be a great addition to the Royal Navy and is due to serve for over 50 years."