Royal Navy's largest ever warship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, to set sail

[EC]

The largest warship ever built in the UK is due to set sail for the first time today.

HMS Queen Elizabeth, the Royal Navy's new aircraft carrier, will leave her dock in Scotland around lunchtime to start two years of sea trials.

She is named after Elizabeth the first and is the second ship to carry the name - the first was a World War One battleship.

More than 700 crew are onboard, from seamen to aircraft engineers, dentists to force protection. The oldest crew member is 58 and the youngest 17 although the average age is in the early twenties.

In recent weeks they have been practising drills and familiarising themselves with their new ship. Their first task will be to successfully sail her out of the basin she was built in.

It will need precise calculations and nerves of steel. At high tide, she will be guided through a narrow exit in the harbour. This has been widened but still only allows 14 inches either side to spare.

More: http://news.sky.com/story/royal-navys-largest-ever-warship-hms-queen-elizabeth-sets-sail-10927338

This should be interesting, to say the least. Gonna be a tight fit all the way down the firth.

[EC]

They got it out of the harbour. Both the Lizzie and the harbour are still in one piece. Waiting for low tide so they can scrape under the bridges. In theory, they'll fit with about 2 feet to spare.

[the_doc]

More than 700 crew are onboard, from seamen to aircraft engineers, dentists to force protection. The oldest crew member is 58 and the youngest 17 although the average age is in the early twenties.

A crew of 700 seems awfully small for a big carrier.  Would that be just the crew size necessary for sea trials?

[EC]

Yep. No flight crew as yet. We made the slight mistake of ordering F-35's only five years before the keel of the Lizzie was laid.

[Suppressed]

Yep. No flight crew as yet. We made the slight mistake of ordering F-35's only five years before the keel of the Lizzie was laid.

Ah, remember the old days, when ships took years and planes took months?

[EC]

Yep.

Oh well, if we really need to we can dust off some Harriers. Still got some kicking around somewhere.