THE final section of the first of two new aircraft carriers being built on the Clyde has left BAE Systems's shipyard at Scotstoun in Glasgow for Rosyth.
The huge segment of what will become HMS Queen Elizabeth yesterday started the 600-mile round journey for assembly.
The Aft Island, also known as Upper Block 14, is the air traffic control tower of the ship and the centre of all flight operations.
Travelling around the north coast of Scotland, the block is scheduled to arrive in Rosyth on Thursday. Once the island has arrived, all the vessel's sections will have been delivered.
Angus Holt, Queen Elizabeth Class Block Delivery Director for BAE Systems, said: "The delivery of the Aft Island is a huge milestone for the aircraft carrier programme and we are extremely proud to have achieved this.
"The island has been completed to an exceptional standard which is testament to the skills and talent of our workforce here on the Clyde.
"Once the island has arrived in Rosyth, the full scale of the nation's flagship will be revealed for the first time."
Weighing 750 tonnes, the Aft Island was carried onto a sea-going barge on June 11. Preparations were made over five days to secure the structure to the barge prior to her departure from Scotstoun for the delivery voyage.
At Rosyth the island will be lifted onto the flight deck by the Goliath Crane.
Construction was completed ahead of schedule in 86 weeks from the first steel cut to the completed block being loaded onto the barge.
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