THE largest warship ever built in the UK has been successfully floated out of the dock in which she was assembled for the first time.

The 65,000-tonne Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth was formally named by the Queen earlier this month in a ceremony at the Rosyth Dockyard in Fife, where she was assembled.

In an operation that started earlier this week, the dry dock was flooded for the first time to allow the vessel to float. It was then manoeuvred out of the dock and berthed nearby.

Picture: Gordon Terris