HMS Queen Elizabeth: Look inside Royal Navy flagship as potential next generation hosted on board

HMS Queen Elizabeth welcomed youngsters aboard last Friday as part of an event organised by Royal Navy Recruit and Attract. Visitors had the opportunity to get a look inside the 65,000 warship and see what life is like for current serving personnel.

The Queen Elizabeth Class carrier, currently berthed at HMNB Portsmouth, ran tours of the ship every 15 minutes from 10am until 7pm. Each two-hour visit included a safety and capability brief, a 45-minute tour of the ship, and time in the hangar to meet Royal Navy and Royal Marine personnel.

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People had the opportunity to talk to a range of organisations present onboard including Recruit and Attract, sports associations, Maritime Reserves, service charities and military contractors, which play a key part in promoting and informing on life in the Navy.

Recruit and Attract aims to inspire people and find them a suitable career in the force. HMS Queen Elizabeth’s Commanding Officer, Captain Will King, said: “We were thrilled to host this Recruit and Attract event onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth.

“It’s been brilliant to see so many young people visiting the ship and interacting with our Ship’s Company and partners; events such as this one offer a stimulating opportunity to learn more about the work we do and get inspired about careers in the Royal Navy.”

Mr Paul Walker, a teacher at Ninestiles, a secondary school in Birmingham, brought a group of school children all the way down from the Midlands to take part in the event. He said: “It has been really great for our pupils to see a world that they don’t normally have access to and would certainly never experience in their day to day lives. The tour onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth has been a fantastic opportunity, and the Royal Navy personnel have all been so helpful.”

The doors of the aircraft carrier remained open on Saturday (September 28) to family members of the ship’s company, with the aircraft carrier welcoming loved ones onboard for her annual Families Day.