After a long wait, HMS Queen Elizabeth finally arrived in Portsmouth Harbour this morning at 0710hrs. She was greeted with a flotilla of boats and thousands of people lined the shores to catch a glimpse of the biggest warship ever built for the Royal Navy.

You could see her arriving on horizon and she crept towards the narrow entrance of Portsmouth Harbour with ease. Plenty of planning in simulators in Holland prepared the crew for her arrival but I imagine nothing really prepares you for the real thing!

As well as the ship being built plenty of work has been carried out in around Portsmouth Harbour in preparation for her arrival. The approach channel and harbour have been dredged and in the process a few un-exploded WWII bombs were found amongst other treasures from historic ships.

Her dimensions are:

  • Length 280m
  • Beam 39m
  • Draft 11m
  • Displacement 70,600 tons

It was a privilege to be on the water this morning to see her arrival for the first time, now we just need to wait for HMS Prince of Wales......