Big Lizzie goes sick: Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth postpones sailing from Portsmouth base after crew members test positive for Covid-19
- Up to nine of the ship’s crew members have tested positive for coronavirus
- Around 100 further members of crew are isolating onboard and will be retested
- The vessel was due to set sail to work with a Nato task group of other warships
Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has postponed its sailing from Portsmouth Naval Base after a number of crew tested positive for Covid-19, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.
The aircraft carrier, which is currently in Portsmouth, has postponed its sail for 24 hours after up to nine of its crew members tested positive for coronavirus.
Around 100 further members of crew are isolating onboard because they have been in contact with positive cases.
Infected crew members have been removed from the ship and will continue to isolate.
Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has postponed its sailing from Portsmouth Naval Base after a number of crew tested positive for Covid-19, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed
The vessel was due to set sail this afternoon for several weeks to work with a small Nato task group of other warships.
A number of British and American F-35B stealth jets will also be onboard the aircraft carrier in the largest cohort of jets seen on a British warship in more than a decade.
American aviators from the US Marine Corps arrived at RAF Marham last week to prepare for the role.
The Queen Elizabeth is due to deploy on her first operational mission early next year, which will she her travelling across the world.
Her sister ship, HMS Prince of Wales, is expected to undertaker its maiden operational deployment in 2023.