The British Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has completed work on the new jetty at HM Naval Base (HMNB) Portsmouth to accommodate the Royal Navy’s second Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales.
Completion of the jetty means that the naval base will now be able to berth both HMS Prince of Wales and the lead vessel in the class, HMS Queen Elizabeth, side-by-side.
The cost of the project to modernise HMNB Portsmouth stands at £30m.
The jetty provides a dedicated power source for each aircraft carrier. New infrastructure includes walkways, relocated vehicle bridges and quick release mooring pulleys.
HMNB Portsmouth commander commodore JJ Bailey said: “This represents a historic moment for Portsmouth Naval Base as we prepare for the arrival of HMS Prince of Wales. Her appearance will change the skyline of the naval base for the next 50 years as well as transform the way defence operates across the globe.
“It is therefore only right that we meet that modernisation of our fleet with the modernisation of our supporting infrastructure and both Victory Jetty and Princess Royal Jetty now absolutely meet that demand.”
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By GlobalDataHMS Prince of Wales is currently undergoing sea trials in the North Sea.
The works are in preparation for the scheduled arrival of the carrier to its home base of Portsmouth by the end of the year.
HMS Queen Elizabeth is also expected to return home by the end of the year after the completion of its latest flying trials with the F-35 aircraft off the coast of the US.
DIO QEC project manager Colin Efford said: “It’s been a great project to work on, and everyone pulling together to share their expertise and best practice from the Princess Royal Jetty project has helped us complete ahead of programme and within budget.”