January 2016
ACA Monthly News
HMS PRINCE OF WALES' Aft Island lifted into place
Defence Minister, Philip
“Supported by a £178
Dunne, said: "The
billion equipment budget,
final section of HMS
the carriers - along with
PRINCE OF
our new Lightning II
WALES being put
aircraft will provide the
in place marks a
spearhead of the UK's
huge achievement
military capability for the
for the thousands
next 50 years.” Philip
of highly skilled
Dunne, Defence Minster.
people across the UK that
have contributed to the construction of what will be the
UK's largest aircraft carriers.
The Aircraft Carrier Alliance successfully lifted one of the
final sections of the second Queen Elizabeth Class
aircraft carrier in Rosyth on Friday 8 January following its
arrival from Glasgow.
The 750 tonne block was raised 25 meters in the air
using the Goliath crane and placed on the deck of HMS
PRINCE OF WALES, bringing assembly work on the
ship significantly closer to completion.
This section to be assembled is known as the Aft Island
and will control aircraft operations aboard HMS PRINCE
OF WALES. Its journey from Glasgow, where it was
constructed, took it 1,335 miles around the south coast of
England in order to reach its destination in Fife.
Angus Holt, HMS
“With the second island
PRINCE OF
positioned on the flight deck
WALES Delivery
of HMS PRICE OF WALES
Director, said:
the scale of the engineering
“This is a
and construction task that
significant
the Aircraft Carrier Alliance
day for
is undertaking is clearly
everyone
visible.” Angus Holt, HMS
working for the
PRINCE OF WALES
Alliance and there’s
Delivery Director.
a real sense of
excitement to see this important section being
assembled on to the ship. With the second island
positioned on the flight deck of HMS PRICE OF WALES
the scale of the engineering and construction task that
the Aircraft Carrier Alliance is undertaking is clearly
visible.
"Supported by a £178 billion equipment budget, the
carriers - along with our new Lightning II aircraft, which
we are buying more quickly - will provide the spearhead
of the UK's military capability for the next 50 years,
keeping the nation safe at home and protecting our
interests abroad.“
As the 750-tonne island settled onto the flight deck, it
sealed into place a plaque positioned underneath it. This
contains the emblems of the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force
and Army. The plaque was handed over to the Aircraft
Carrier Alliance by Rear Admiral Henry Parker and will
remain part of the fabric of the warship for its entire life.
The second of the Queen Elizabeth Class Carriers, HMS
PRINCE OF WALES, will be structurally complete by mid2016 and will be handed over to the Royal Navy in 2019
with Initial Operating Capability in 2023.
Images of lift are available on the ACA Flickr site.
A timelapse video is available on YouTube.
“Thanks to the dedication of thousands of workers across
the country we are proud to be delivering this critical
capability to the Royal Navy.”
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Royal Name for Carrier Jetty
Plans to rename the jetty which will be home to the first
of the Navy’s two new aircrafts carrier have received
the royal seal of approval.
Buckingham Palace has agreed Princess Royal Jetty
as the new name for the berth at Portsmouth Naval
Base which will accommodate the 65,000-tonne HMS
Queen Elizabeth.
The jetty, currently known as Middle Slip Jetty, is being
strengthened and upgraded to support the carrier
which is due to arrive in Portsmouth in early 2017.
Naval Base Commander, Commodore Jeremy Rigby,
said: “We are delighted that Her Majesty The Queen
has agreed to the Royal Navy’s request to rename the
jetty. The Princess Royal, as Commodore-in-Chief for
Portsmouth, is a frequent visitor to the base and takes
a keen interest in all of our activities here.
“It also sends an important message that the Naval
Base is moving into a new and exciting era. There is a
step change in the way that we support and operate
our ships compared to yesteryear.”
It is hoped The Princess Royal will formally name the
jetty in a ceremony towards the end of the year. HMS
Queen Elizabeth and her sister ship HMS Prince of
Wales are the biggest and most powerful warships
ships ever built for the Royal Navy.
“It also sends an important
message that the Naval
Base is moving into a new
and exciting era. There is a
step change in the way that
we support and operate our
ships compared to
yesteryear.” Naval Base
Commander, Commodore
Jeremy Rigby
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https://twitter.com/QEClassCarriers
https://www.youtube.com/user/QEClassCarriers
www.flickr.com/photos/qeclasscarriers.
www.aircraftcarrieralliance.co.uk
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Spotlight on…
Lyn Corstorphine
Graduate - ACA Programme Integration
What are the key challenges of the role?
The biggest challenge I have faced has been learning
about the different functions involved within the
construction of the carriers and how they are progressing.
I also have to make sure I receive all the submissions for
the packs on time to ensure I meet the deadlines. When I
first started the programme, my biggest challenge was
the amount of acronyms used.
How did you career bring you to where you are
today, currently working with the ACA?
After completing a bachelor degree in Business
Management I took a gap year and travelled around
Australia. When I returned I was looking for fresh
challenges and to enhance my skills and abilities. The
opportunity to be a part of the Aircraft Carrier Alliance
came along and it was an opportunity that I could not
pass on.
What’s your role?
I started a six month graduate placement on the ACA
Programme Integration with Babcock in November.
What does that involve?
A large amount of my
“It’s very interesting to
duties are in reporting.
see the project
My main role is to
gradually progressing
compile various
and I am able to get a
packs for the
strategic overview of
programme
each part of the
leadership team,
project.” Lyn
alliance management
Corstorphine, Graduate
board and naval ships
contracts. A large focus of this
is on the PLT performance review and this involves
sitting in the meetings and noting the actions and any
other relevant information. It’s very interesting to see the
project gradually progressing and I am able to get a
strategic overview of each part of the project. I have also
recently started assisting with data cleansing for
resource management.
What are you
“I feel very lucky to be a
most proud of
part of this large project as
about your
I am surrounded by people
role?
with vast amounts of
I have a great
knowledge. I’ve enjoyed
sense of pride
being able to borrow
knowing that I
people’s brains and see
am part of the
things from another
construction and
perspective!” Lyn
history of the two
Corstorphine, Graduate
largest aircraft
carriers ever built for
the Royal Navy. I feel very lucky to be a part of this large
project as I am surrounded by people with vast amounts
of knowledge. I’ve enjoyed being able to borrow people’s
brains and see things from another perspective!
What has been the highlight of your career?
I would consider working on the QEC programme a
highlight of my career. An opportunity to work on a
project of a similar scale does not arise often and there
have been so many opportunities for me to gain a wider
knowledge of the project. I have been on the programme
for seven weeks now and as I am gradually
understanding more, it’s really interesting to see how the
alliance has come together to carry out this important
project. It’s refreshing to be working within a team of
enthusiastic people who are highly committed to
delivering this project.
What do you do in your spare time?
I don’t mind what I’m doing, as long as it’s outdoors! I
enjoy travelling to new countries, keeping active and
trying out different restaurants with my friends.
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