New British carrier enters sea trials

June 26 (UPI) -- Britain's newest aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, set sail Monday from its Scottish shipyard for the first stage of sea trials, BAE Systems reported.

The trials to test the vessel's speed, maneuverability, power and propulsion, and weaponry will last about six weeks.

"This is a historic moment for the U.K. as our new aircraft carrier takes to sea for the very first time," Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said in a press release. "This floating fortress is by far the most powerful ship ever built in Britain that will enable us to tackle multiple and changing threats across the globe.

"HMS Queen Elizabeth is an enduring example of British imagination, ingenuity, invention that will help keep us safe for decades to come. She is built by the best, crewed by the best and will deliver for Britain."

HMS Queen Elizabeth, the first of her class, is to be delivered to the Royal Navy by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, a partnership between BAE Systems, Thales UK, Babcock and the Ministry of Defense.

The vessel weighs 71,650 tons, is about 918.6 feet in length and has a top speed of 25 knots. The HMS Queen Elizabeth will have a crew complement of about 700 sailors, which will increase to about 1,600 when its complement of 36 F-35B aircraft and four Crowsnest helicopters are embarked.

BAE Systems said that following its initial sea tests, the carrier will return to its shipyard Rosyth for further testing and maintenance and then return to sea to test mission systems. She will later transfer to Portsmouth Naval Base to be handed over to the Royal Navy later this year.

"This is a hugely significant moment for the Royal Navy, for all our Armed Forces and for our island nation," said Adm. Sir Philip Jones, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff. "Once in service, HMS Queen Elizabeth will be the largest aircraft carrier in the world outside the United States, and the first designed from the outset to operate a fifth generation aircraft."