South Shields based Solar Solve Marine recently dispatched a consignment of 10 super sophisticated SOLASAFE anti-glare, heat reflecting roller sunscreens for the Flying Control room (FLYCO) windows of the Royal Navy’s new super aircraft carrier HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH.
The UK’s largest ever warship, HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH, has been successfully floated out of the dock in which she was assembled.
In an operation that started earlier this week, the dry dock in Rosyth near Edinburgh was flooded for the first time to allow the 65,000 tonne aircraft carrier to float. It then took only three hours this morning to carefully manoeuvre HMS Queen Elizabeth out of the dock with just two metres clearance at either side and then berth her alongside a nearby jetty. Teams will now continue to outfit the ship and steadily bring her systems to life in preparation for sea trials in 2016. The dock she vacates will be used for final assembly of her sister ship, HMS Prince of Wales, which will begin in September.
The float out of HMS Queen Elizabeth comes just 13 days after the vessel was named by Her Majesty the Queen in a spectacular ceremony.
The HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales are being delivered by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, a unique partnership between the Ministry of Defence, BAE Systems, Babcock and Thales.
As is often the case with fighting ships, lots of controls, VDU’s, monitors and specialist equipment has to be located and installed in what can be considered a very small area compared to the size of the vessel, which usually means manufacturers liaising with designers, builders and installers to adapt the standard design to suit the customer’s requirements and constraints. The SOLASAFE screens supplied are mains powered, remote controlled and the hardware has been finished to a high quality specification that befits the biggest and most powerful surface warship ever constructed for the Royal Navy.
Commissioning of Queen Elizabeth, the first of 2 sister ships, is scheduled for 2017 and fully operational by 2023. As the build progresses Solar Solve will be supplying SOLASAFE screens for windows in other areas of this first super carrier for the Royal Navy that will be capable of carrying up to 50 aircraft at full load. The second vessel, HMS Prince of Wales is due to launch in 2017, commission in 2020 and also be fully operational by 2023.
John Lightfoot, Solar Solve’s chairman, commented,
“At 920 ft. in length and with a displacement of 70,000 tons the main structure of these vessels has been built to accommodate future design changes and expansions over time and they are expected to last for 50 years.”
“Winning these orders is not just about coping with last minute design changes and very tight delivery schedules. It is also about effectiveness and reliability of product, together with life expectancy between major refits.”
“This is what we thrive on and everyone at Solar Solve is very proud to be a part of this amazing British project that will represent a step change in the Royal Navy’s capability, enabling the delivery of increased strategic effect and influence around the world.”
Source & Image credit: Solar Solve Marine
