SPOTD: HMS Queen Elizabeth next to the 2nd largest British warship

June 4, 2015 by John Konrad

HMS Queen Elizabeth next to the current largest ship in the fleet HMS illustrious. Royal Navy Photo

This aerial ship photo of the day shows the HMS Queen Elizabeth next to the 2nd largest British warship the HMS Illustrious.

Related Book: British Aircraft Carriers: Design, Development and Service Histories

At 280 m (920 ft) LOA and displacing 70,600 tonnes the HMS Queen Elizabeth is the lead ship of the Queen Elizabeth-class of aircraft carrier and the largest warship ever built for the Royal Navy and capable of carrying up to forty aircraft. She was named by Queen Elizabeth II on 4 July 2014, and is scheduled to commission in 2016, with initial operational capability from 2020. Her first Commanding Officer is to be Commodore Jerry Kyd, the former captain of HMS Ark Royal and HMS Illustrious.

P.S. Also read this: The World’s Aircraft Carriers – VISUALIZED

About John Konrad

Captain John Konrad is the founder and CEO of gCaptain and author of the book Fire On The Horizon. John is a USCG licensed Master of Unlimited Tonnage, has sailed a variety of ships from ports around the world and is a distinguished alumnus of SUNY Maritime College.