‘Cannibalised’ parts show UK challenge to keep 2 carriers in fighting shape
South China Morning Post
23-05-16 05:04
One of Britain's new aircraft carriers, HMS Prince of Wales, has had to "cannibalise parts" for HMS Queen Elizabeth, which has been operational since 2017, while it awaits repair of a broken propeller shaft. While the Navy states that swapping parts is common and the cause of the damage is limited to the ship, it is unclear whether it results from defective design, poor construction, maintenance or some other issue. The royal navy can presently only muster fewer than 20 frigates and destroyers, and 10 nuclear submarines, and critics have questioned whether such carriers were affordable for the UK.