HMS Queen Elizabeth arrives home after repairs

The Royal Navy's £3bn flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth has returned to its base after four months of repairs in Scotland.

The aircraft carrier arrived in Portsmouth Harbour at just before 20:30 BST.

Routine checks in February revealed an issue with its propeller shaft, causing the 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier to withdraw from a Nato exercise.

Before heading into Portsmouth Harbour, the ship sailed past the Isle of Wight, where it exchanged gun salutes with the Royal Yacht Squadron.

The sail-past took place as part of the Cowes Week regatta, which is currently underway in the Solent.

Although all racing at the event had to be postponed on Tuesday due to no wind, various dignitaries were in attendance at the Royal Yacht Squadron for the gun salute.

There were also large crowds of onlookers gathered on the shore to watch the aircraft carrier's sail-past.

On its journey back from Rosyth Dockyard, the ship underwent a short intensive period at sea to test its systems.

The seven-day session saw it undergo marine engineering trials, sailing at high speed for extended periods of time, and manoeuvring as aggressively as possible to give the command team full confidence in its systems.

Crew members also carried out boat drills, damage control exercises and intelligence briefings to get sailors and officers back up to speed after their time in Rosyth.

Captain Will King, commanding officer of HMS Queen Elizabeth, said: “Whilst no warship wants to find itself spending unscheduled time out of the water, I am enormously proud of the work that has gone on in Rosyth."

The ship will now begin preparations for operations in the autumn.

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