The Royal Navy’s new £3 billion aircraft carrier has been forced to postpone its first departure from its home port because of poor weather.
The HMS Queen Elizabeth, which was assembled in Rosyth, was set to leave Portsmouth Naval Base on Tuesday for its second set of sea trials.
But the 919ft long, 65-000 tonne vessel has delayed its exit because of the weather conditions, and now plans to sail later this week.
A spokesman for the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, which was responsible delivering the project to the Navy, said: “We plan to sail later this week when we can ensure a safe exit.”
Tens of thousands of people lined the walls of Portsmouth Harbour to welcome the Navy’s biggest ship into the Hampshire port for the first time on August 16.
It had arrived after undergoing initial training and sea tests, having set out from Scotland’s Rosyth dockyard in June.
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