QE Sails for the Western Atlantic at 1800 GMT. Will be posting a stream here if I get a stable one.
Highlights will include UK Carrier battlegroup photos.
A visit to New York
F35 operations
As for her battlegroup, it's a fairly tame deployment but she's brand new and no doubt the Russians would like a listen/look.
HMS Diamond and HMS Dragon are active and in the area but the former is the fleet ready escort. the later is completing a stint of training off the French coast.
HMS Defender returned to the fleet last week after refit and is currently the most advanced of the T45's but needs to pass her FOST course before she can go to sea again - as does QE since she's been alongside for a few months.
She was joined by T23 HMS Kent who has received her sea ceptor overhaul and is currently on FOST.
All four of the new Tide class tankers are in UK waters.
I'd imagine it'll just be QE, a tanker, 1x T45 and 1xT23 since it's pretty friendly waters.
Possibly another T23 and probably joined intermittently by friendly escorts, i believe one of the T45's is currently at sea training with French and Spanish escorts but i can't find the article for names/dates.
First fast jets to land on her will be two instrument aircraft from the common test pool.
Probably will be US jets but operated by UK pilots (the UK test aircraft are on the west coast at the moment and the only other F35B's in the common test pool are USMC ones at Patuxent River)
As the vessels are intended to operate as pure aircraft carriers or helicopter assault ships (or a mix of the two) and since there will be extra space onboard without a full load of F35's QE is embarking an unspecified number of Royal Marines and supporting equipment who will be training in the US at the same time.
Is this more a tour de force to celebrate thicc lizzy while she picks up her planes or is it actually aimed at being a serious exercise?
Logan Hall
doubtful, this is the last of her sea trials.
She'll be spending a lot of the time making sure aviation handling, facilities and procedures are up to scratch. There will be a few naval/amphibious drills. but it's still a shakedown trip, with only two F35's embarked (they are using ones wired for flight test data).
They want to get as much data as they can about F35 taking off and landing at various speeds and weights. about rolling vertical landing and regular vertical landing.
Once she returns there will be a period of mainatnce and minor testing in 2019 while PoW goes through the same sea trailed that QE has just finished.
In 2020 we may see UK/US exercises before QE's maiden deployment in 2021 to the south china sea.
as mentioned in it's her final phase of sea trials. the ship's systems and accommodation have already been tested, this is more about testing F35B on her in as many situations as possible.
lol anything but the QE. im stuck on minesweepers however im thinking of asking if i can get myself on protector
Isaac Powell
Never underestimate an admiral's desire for photos.
Caleb Edwards
One of the minesweepers just got some fancy new toys didn't they?
Whats the crew space like on a small ship like that? roomy because of the small number of crew or cramped because of the relatively small size?
Cooper Collins
we are getting many fancy new toys. honestly, they are awful. if you are over 6ft good luck. im thankfull im a short arse so i can fit anywhere. my deck is at the very front, it consists of 4 bunks ontop of eachother. the whole mess deck has like 25 people living there. its honestly god awful.i like the small crew, max 35 people at a given time but you have very little space for yourself. like you cant even turn around in your bunk because its so small.
First time she's left UK waters by any distance asides from a trip to the bay of Biscay then Gibralter. So i would imagine the Russians would be keen to have a look.
Carter Perez
Heyyy I'm the guy you replied to with that image last thread. Unironically impressed me and changed my perception of the Brit carriers. Thanks m8, I like good naval threads.
Carson Roberts
You're very welcome. If you check the report screen we can now report trolling and racism outside of /b/. we can hopefully cut the cancer out of this board.
Ausfag here, you guys have the same gay ass brass buckles we have in the Army. Don't get it gold plated, cause if you fall down drunk and scratch it it's fucked forever
Benjamin Russell
>we can now report trolling and racism outside of /b/. You've always been able to do that, stupid nigger.
