Fresh embarrassment for the Navy as its flagship £3bn warship HMS Queen Elizabeth catches fire after being moved to Scotland for repairs due to rust

The Royal Navy’s flagship £3billion warship HMS Queen Elizabeth has caught fire.

The ship suffered minor damage while docked at Glenmallan, on the shores of Loch  Long in Scotland. 

It comes just weeks after HMS Queen Elizabeth was due to set sail from Portsmouth to help lead the western military alliance’s biggest exercise since the Cold War.

But the £3.5billion, 65,000-ton ship was pulled out at the 11th hour when rust was discovered on the affected part – leaving it at risk of it breaking down at sea.

The blaze was reported at 23.50 last night and has now come to an end. There were no fatalities or ordnances involved in the incident.

The Scottish Fire Service was called out and attended the scene, and they are now working alongside the Navy to establish the cause of the fire.

‘No fatalities, minor fire damage to the ship but all over with,’ a source on the ship told the UK Defence Journal.

It is understood that the blaze is now at an end and there were no fatalities or ordnances involved in the incident

HMS Queen Elizabeth (left) was due to set sail from Portsmouth to help lead the western military alliance’s biggest exercise since the Cold War

A Royal Navy Spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘A minor, isolated fire on HMS Queen Elizabeth was quickly brought under control and extinguished.’

A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire Service added: ‘We received a call at 23.50 yesterday evening to a report of a fire on board a vessel.’

The emergency service attended the scene.

HMS Queen Elizabeth – nicknamed Big Lizzie – arrived at the Scottish dock yesterday as it destored ammunition and supplies enroute to Rosyth, where it will be repaired.

The ship was due to be replaced by is sister carrier, £3billion warship HMS Prince of Wales, on a NATO, but its departure was also cancelled at the last minute.

The 65,000-tonne Royal Navy aircraft carrier had down off the Isle of White 18 months ago after a coupling on its 33-tonne starboard propeller malfunctioned. 

And in early February four tiny P2000s, which normally patrol coastlines with crews of five, were instead seen making final preparations before heading to Norway.

The embarrassing limitations of Britain’s once mighty Royal Navy have been exposed in a string of alarming revelations this year. 

In January, sources revealed HMS Queen Elizabeth would be unable to back up the Prime Minister’s promises to resist Houthi aggression in the Red Sea as its support ship was reportedly understaffed and stuck in a Liverpool shipyard.

And when the warship was pulled out of the NATO exercise MPs described the development as ‘excruciatingly embarrassing’. 

But the £3.5billion, 65,000-ton ship was pulled out at the 11th hour after rust was discovered on the affected part – leaving it at risk of it breaking down at sea

The Queen Elizabeth’s sister carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, broke down near the Isle of Wight after setting sail for America just 18 months ago – also due to a faulty propeller shaft

The F35s (pictured) are regarded as the most lethal fighter jets in the world and 36 can be carried on the HMS Queen Elizabeth – with a ‘surge capacity’ of 72 if needed

A damning ‘Ready For War’ report has since urged leaders and ministers to be more transparent about shortcomings across the military so they can be addressed urgently. 

Despite spending about £50bn a year on defence, the report has warned Britain will need ‘sustained ongoing investment’ to fight a ‘high intensity war’. 

It said that chronic shortages of troops and equipment were being covered up by a ‘veil of secrecy’, and highlighted war-readiness issues with the two aircraft carriers. 

Big Lizzie was officially commissioned into the Royal Navy December 7, 2017, ten years after it was ordered by then-Defence Secretary Des Browne, and entered service in 2020. 

A total of 10,000 people worked on construction of the ship, made up in sections at yards around the UK and transported to Rosyth, Fife, where it was assembled. 

At 280 metres long, with a lifespan of half a century and a flight deck of four acres, the ship acts as a powerful deterrent to those who would do the UK harm. 

She can carry up to 72 aircraft, with a maximum capacity of 36 F-35B fighter jets. 

Weighing 65,000 tonnes and carrying a top speed in excess of 25 knots, HMS Queen Elizabeth boats a state-of-the-art weaponry and communications systems, as well as five gyms, a chapel and a medical centre. 

HMS Queen Elizabeth departs from the Naval base in September 2020

Pictured: The Queen Elizabeth class features HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales

A graphic shows how the Queen Elizabeth class of carriers – which includes two vessels; the HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales – can produce 500 tonnes of fresh water from sea water daily

There are 364,000 metres of pipes inside the ship, and from keel to masthead she measures 56 metres, four metres more than Niagara Falls. 

The ship’s two propellers weigh 33 tonnes each, with a powerplant behind them which generates enough power to run 1,000 family cars.

Led by Captain William King OBE, Big Lizzie operates with a crew of around 700 on board, which will be increased to 1,600 when the full complement of F-35B jets and Crowsnest helicopters embarked. 

The entire ship’s company of 700 can be served a meal within 90 minutes, 45 minutes when at action stations, in the five galleys which store 45 days’ worth of food. 

The flight deck is big enough to hold four football pitches and will be used to launch the F35 Joint Strike Fighter fast jet. 

Each of the two aircraft lifts on HMS Queen Elizabeth can move two fighter jets from the hangar to the flight deck in 60 seconds. 

The F35s are regarded as the most lethal fighter jets in the world – armed with two Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles, two bombs and an optional 25mm gun pod.

The jet combines advanced sensors and mission systems with low observable technology, or ‘stealth’, which enables it to operate undetected in hostile airspace.

The HMS Queen Elizabeth, the Royal Navy’s most powerful ship to ever set to sea, is pictured leaving Portsmouth in May 2021

The pilot is able to share information gathered by the jet with other platforms using secure data links, and/or use the information to employ weapons or electronic means. 

At least seven Crowsnest helicopters – designed for surveillance and submarine hunting operations – will also be on board. 

Installed onto the Royal Navy’s Merlin MK2 helicopters, Crowsnest uses a powerful radar to provide long-range air, maritime and land tracking capabilities and ensure the early detection of potential threats to the fleet. 

The Crowsnest is identifiable as a large radar dome, or ‘bag’, which sticks out from the fuselage of the Merlin and points downward when the helicopter is airborne. 

HMS Queen Elizabeth is also well-equipped to deal with seaborne and airborne threats, carrying three Phalanx CIWS (close-in weapon system) turrets. 

Comprising of a radar-guided 20mm Vulcan cannon mounted on a swivelling base, the Phalanx has a dual fire rate of 3,000 or 4,500 shots per minute and is capable of hitting targets up to a mile away. 

Inside Britain’s most powerful warship, HMS Queen Elizabeth

At 280 metres long, with a lifespan of half a century and a flight deck of four acres, HMS Queen Elizabeth is Britain’s largest and most powerful warship ever built.

Here are the facts and figures behind the vessel which was officially commissioned into the Royal Navy December 7, 2017.

HMS Queen Elizabeth, pictured, weighs some 65,000 tonnes and has a top speed of 25 knots and a four-acre flight deck

• The aircraft carrier weighs 65,000 tonnes and has a top speed in excess of 25 knots.
• A number of ship building yards around the country were involved in the build – these include Govan and Scotstoun in Glasgow, Appledore in Devon, Cammell Laird in Birkenhead, Wirral, A&P on the Tyne in Newcastle and Portsmouth.
• A total of 10,000 people worked on construction of the ship, made up in sections at yards around the UK and transported to Rosyth, Fife, where it was assembled.
• It is the second ship in the Royal Navy to be named Queen Elizabeth.
• The ship has a crew of around 700, that increased to 1,600 when the full complement of F-35B jets and Crowsnest helicopters embarked.
• There are 364,000 metres of pipes inside the ship, and from keel to masthead she measures 56 metres, four metres more than Niagara Falls.
• Facilities onboard include a chapel, a medical centre and 12-bed ward, staffed with GPs, a nurse and medical assistants, as well as a dentist and dental nurse.
• There are also five gyms on the warship which include a cardiovascular suite, two free weight rooms and a boxing gym.
• Regular fitness circuit sessions and sporting activities such as basketball and tug of war are held in the hangar and on the flight deck, with weights and other items stored inside the flight deck ramp. 
• There are five galleys on the warship which is where the food is cooked and those on board eat their meals everyday. This includes two main galleys, the bridge mess and an aircrew refreshment bar.
• The distribution network on board manages enough energy to power 30,000 kettles or 5,500 family homes.
• Its flight deck is 280 metres long and 70 metres wide, enough space for three football pitches.
•  The entire ship’s company of 700 can be served a meal within 90 minutes, 45 minutes when at action stations.
• Recreational spaces enjoyed by the crew feature televisions and sofas, as well as popular board games including the traditional Royal Navy game of Uckers.
• Each of the two aircraft lifts on HMS Queen Elizabeth can move two fighter jets from the hangar to the flight deck in 60 seconds.
• The warship has a range of 8,000 to 10,000 nautical miles, and has two propellers – each weighing 33 tonnes and with a combined 80MW output of power – enough to run 1,000 family cars or 50 high speed trains.