Royal Navy aircraft carrier departs after upgrade

The 65,000 tonne ship, which was commissioned into service in 2017

The Royal Navy's £3.2 billion aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has left Portsmouth in the middle of two extensive periods of maintenance work.

The 65,000 tonne ship, which was commissioned into service in 2017, has been undergoing "significant" upgrade work at Portsmouth Naval Base for the past nine months.

Now the ship will undergo sea trials to test newly installed navigation and propulsion control systems before going into dry dock at Rosyth in Scotland for seven months.

Capt Claire Thompson, HMS Queen Elizabeth's Commanding Officer, said: "The departure of HMS Queen Elizabeth from Portsmouth marks the end of one phase of our upkeep period and the beginning of another.

Capt Claire Thompson, HMS Queen Elizabeth's Commanding Officer called it "the end of one phase"

The Royal Navy says HMS Queen Elizabeth is undergoing the equivalent of a car MOT after six years that has included a global deployment to the Indo-Pacific in 2021 and a series of NATO operations in European waters.

The time in dry dock will allow engineers to inspect and improve systems inaccessible when the ship is afloat.

"We have achieved an enormous amount in 2025, with a significant upgrade to our propulsion system being the most notable item amidst a wide range of engineering projects tackled alongside our partners from industry," Capt Thompson said.

She added: "My focus remains generating a highly capable team that can take the ship from our docking period and work towards front-line duties."

The sea trials will assess the 500-strong ship's company's ability to deal with a range of emergencies – including damage control and fire and floods training.