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The forward island has been lifted into place on the first Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier – a key milestone in the project. The 600 tonne forward island is a crucial component of the ship. It contains the main bridge and around 100 vital mission systems compartments.
The island arrived at Babcock’s Rosyth facility, where the carriers are being assembled, from BAE Systems in Portsmouth in February. It was lifted into position onto the flight deck by the Goliath crane, which had a special 78 tonne lifting frame attached for the purpose.
The lifting process began with the attachment of the crane to the lifting frame, and application of a percentage of the island weight to the crane to confirm the predicted centre of gravity. After some minor adjustments the crane took the full weight of the Island, lifted it over the aircraft carrier flight deck and located it in its final position.
Although not the heaviest lift of the project, the island’s geometry and shape presented significant challenges. The alignment of the pre-fitted 2.4 metre diameter gas turbine exhausts also posed a challenge.
With the island in place, the Long Range Radar (LRR) will now be installed on top. This will be closely followed by a period of consolidation, during which the island will be welded to the superstructure and mechanical and electrical systems installed. The later phase of the project will see the LRR set to work and fully integrated with the ship systems.
Uniquely, the QEC carriers will feature two islands. The second ‘aft island’ is due to arrive and be installed by the end of July and will operate as an airport control tower to co-ordinate aircraft movements. Both islands are designed with the ability to carry out each other’s role in an emergency.
Commenting on the successful lifting of the forward island into place, Babcock QEC project director Sean Donaldson said: “Seeing the forward island in position on the flight deck marks a highly visible achievement in the assembly programme. The month for lifting the island into place was set over three years ago. Since then the island has been designed and constructed, the crane put into place and the blocks that the island sits on assembled ready to accept the island – a considerable achievement.”
Defence secretary Philip Hammond commented: “The addition of the forward island is a significant milestone for HMS Queen Elizabeth, which is now entering the final months of her construction. The workforce at Rosyth should be proud of their involvement in developing the largest and most technologically advanced warships the UK has ever had.
“The Queen Elizabeth Class of Carriers will be in service for up to fifty years, providing the Royal Navy with highly versatile and potent capability that will enable the UK to project its power and carry out a wide range of tasks around the world.”
The first of the two carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth, will be structurally complete at the end of this year, with the ship capable of ‘float up’ in spring 2014.