HMS Queen Elizabeth - the largest and most powerful vessel ever constructed for the Royal Navy - has been spotted making her way to Glan Mallan, Loch Long.This marks the first visit to western Scotland for the Royal Navy aircraft carrier.

The fleet flagship arrived at the new Northern Ammunition Jetty at Glen Mallan, in Loch Long, on Monday as part of final preparations before her first operational deployment.

The £3 billion vessel, which was assembled at Rosyth in Fife, has spent the last two weeks at sea testing and trialling her latest equipment.

She will now spend the next period filling up for UK Carrier Strike Group 2021.

HMS Queen Elizabeth is the first of the Royal Navy’s fleet to visit the new £64 million facility, built at Glen Mallan by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO).

 

Captain Angus Essenhigh, HMS Queen Elizabeth Commanding Officer, said: “We are very proud of the close connection our ship has with Scotland, especially with our affiliated city of Edinburgh.

“HMS Queen Elizabeth embodies the best of British engineering and craftsmanship, including Scottish shipbuilding, and it is a privilege to return to her birthplace of Scotland.”

As well as state-of-the-art weaponry and communications systems, HMS Queen Elizabeth boasts five gyms, a chapel and a medical centre.

The flight deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth comes in at an enormous four acres, which will be used to launch F35 Joint Strike Fighter fast jet.

Four fighter jets can be moved from the hangar to the flight deck in one minute.

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

Last year, Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed that HMS Queen Elizabeth will be at the centre of a carrier strike group deployment to the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean and east Asia.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “HMS Queen Elizabeth has a very proud affiliation to Scotland and it is only fitting she returns before her first operational deployment later this year.

“The £64m investment into the new Northern Ammunition Jetty reaffirms our commitment to supporting our core capabilities and defence estate across all corners of the UK.”

The carrier and its strike group will first take part in a war-fighting exercise with other Nato navies during Exercise Strike Warrior off Scotland in May before it departs for the Mediterranean.

Authorities have warned that drones and aircraft must not be flown in the vicinity of the ship due to operational security.

Police Scotland tweeted: “Please be advised that for the duration that HMS Queen Elizabeth is visiting Glen Mallan, no aircraft are allowed to fly within three nautical miles of the ship and below 6,000 feet within the three nautical mile radius.

“Drones must not fly within three nautical miles either; this includes while the ship is travelling to and from the harbour.”

They added: “If anyone sees someone flying near to the ship, or preparing a drone for flight near the ship, they should contact Police Scotland on 999.”