The Prince of Wales Is a Vital Aircraft Carrier: The British Royal Navy desperately needs aircraft carriers.
The UK’s military has seen better days. Its army is not an expeditionary force, even though the prime minister surprisingly volunteered a large group of soldiers to serve as peacekeepers in Ukraine if needed. Budget cuts have hurt the overall force posture. The Royal Navy is a bright spot, especially with its highly esteemed Astute-class nuclear-powered fast-attack submarines.
But can the Royal Navy sustain the two aircraft carriers that make up the Queen Elizabeth-class? It is important to watch HMS Prince of Wales—HMS Queen Elizabeth’s sister ship—to see whether the British can still project power, keep sea lines of communication open, and guarantee freedom of navigation for allied shipping.
Prince of Wales: Mechanical Problems Have Cropped Up
Not all has gone well for the Prince of Wales. It suffered an embarrassing breakdown in August 2022, when the vessel was supposed to sail on a shakedown cruise to the United States.
Propulsion failed when the carrier’s propeller shaft faltered and broke. Workers inspected the issue and found the propeller shaft had been misaligned during construction.
Before that, two flooding incidents left some observers wondering whether this ship would ever reach its potential. The Prince of Wales was commissioned in 2019, so this was not a new carrier experiencing understandable early problems related to the advanced technology on board. These modernized carriers were designed to be some of the best in the world, so, observers in parliament and the media were concerned.
Put Things In Perspective
Wondering whether both ships of the class might suffer the same malady, workers checked the Queen Elizabeth for propeller problems. They were able to determine this was not a class issue.
“It’s not uncommon to have maintenance issues with state-of-the-art ships which contain complex engineering and technology,” the Royal Navy stated, and that is mostly true. France’s Charles de Gaulle carrier went on the fritz in 2009 and 2010, but it has since recovered, and just completed a cruise to the Pacific. The USS Gerald R. Ford supercarrier was not all that super in its early days. It also had mission cancellations due to engine problems.
The Prince of Wales was able to answer the call when the Queen Elizabeth could not participate in a major NATO sea exercise in 2024. The Prince of Wales steamed to Scandinavia in its sister-ship’s place for the largest NATO drills since the Cold War. This reassured the Royal Navy and NATO that the Queen Elizabeth carriers were not totally unreliable.
Some Background on the HMS Prince of Wales
The Prince of Wales was manufactured by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, a group consisting of BAE Systems, Thales Group, and Babcock International–all dependable defense contractors.
The carrier displaces 65,000 tons and is 931 feet long—a huge warship for the Royal Navy. The flight deck is large enough for 36 F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters. Merlin helicopters can also fly from the carrier. The Prince of Wales can steam at 25 knots and has a range of 10,000 nautical miles.
But when the carrier first left Portsmouth for sea trials, it suffered a starboard shaft coupling failure. Then, there were problems with the port shaft as well. The ship already underwent leak repair, as well, in 2020.
The care required has set the program back, and it caused critics to wonder if the carrier was worth the $4.2 billion investment that went into it. With both carriers in the class experiencing problems, there were already calls to mothball one or both.
Yes, British Carriers Are Needed Badly
This would have been a huge mistake. The Royal Navy must have carriers to be competitive in modern sea warfare. The maritime branch needs a floating air base to help NATO allies face down the Russians. While the Russian Black Sea fleet has endured its own problems during the war with Ukraine, many of its other ships are still intact. The Russians also have quality submarines.
However, Britain does not have a huge defense budget. Cuts have negatively affected force posture and readiness. Pessimists ask whether two carriers are really needed, when Britain does not face enemies that can threaten its borders.
I’m not convinced that is true. Many modern ships have issues coming out of the gate, especially in the modern age. The Queen Elizabeth-class’s mechanical problems have been addressed. The Royal Navy should concentrate on submarines and on operating these two carriers.
Doing so will guarantee that the military can live up to its NATO commitments and protect its homeland while helping the United States in theaters such as the Middle East and East Asia.
HMS Prince of Wales: The Brits Could Help the Americans Against the Houthis
For example, in the Red Sea, Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists have been annoyingly effective, requiring the U.S. Navy to send two carrier strike groups to the region. With two carriers of its own, the Royal Navy could provide some relief to the Americans.
It is time the British government started taking defense seriously again. Doing so will provide the political will and leadership that can grant confidence in the Royal Navy. These two carriers can bring esteem and high morale back to a military that has struggled recently.
HMS Prince of Wales can be a part of a naval rejuvenation, despite its early setbacks. Giving up on these carriers would be a mistake, and the British strategic position in the world would suffer greatly.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
