LONDON (AP) – A British aircraft carrier scheduled to lead the largest NATO exercise since the Cold War will not set sail on Sunday after a problem was discovered with its propeller during a final inspection, the Royal Navy said.
HMS Queen Elizabeth will not take part in the exercise off Norway’s Arctic coast, but will be replaced by HMS Prince of Wales.
The change in plans is almost the opposite of the scenario that occurred in August 2022, when the Prince of Wales broke down due to propeller problems while en route to a training exercise with the United States and Canada off the coast of North America. The aircraft carrier had to be towed from the Isle of Wight to port, and HMS Queen Elizabeth took part in the exercise in its place.
The cancellation of HMS Queen Elizabeth may mean the Navy will not be able to send aircraft to the Red Sea, as Defense Secretary James Heapy has suggested. Fighting has intensified in the Red Sea, with Iran-backed Houthi rebels targeting cargo ships in the contiguous area.Asia, Europe and America
Britain joined forces with the United States on Saturday to strike 36 Houthi targets in Yemen, marking a second wave of attacks aimed at further neutralizing the Iranian-backed group, which has relentlessly attacked the United States and international interests. carried out.
Video: Two warships collide, leaving a hole in the side of the minesweeper guarding the bay. https://t.co/urQUPvcmsg
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The propeller problem is the Royal Navy’s second failure in less than three weeks, following a collision between two warships in Bahrain’s port, which damaged the ship but caused no injuries.
Military officials said they were investigating the cause of the collision, which appears to have occurred when HMS Chiddingfold flipped over and collided with HMS Bangor while moored. The two minehunters were based in the Middle East to help protect merchant ships.
HMS Prince of Wales will now lead an aircraft carrier attack exercise, Steadfast Defender, involving eight ships, including four British ships and US, Spanish and Danish ships.
