LIVE: HMS Queen Elizabeth looks glorious as she returns to Portsmouth after major revamp
HMS Queen Elizabeth makes a long-awaited return to Portsmouth
Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has made a long awaited return to Portsmouth this morning (Monday, April 27) after nine months away for ‘extended maintenance’.
The aircraft carrier left the Rosyth dockyard in Fife, Scotland, on Sunday (April 19)and had been at anchor in the Firth of Forth since then before leaving under the bridge for sea trials on Thursday (April 23).
She returned this morning, with a number of people gathering in Old Portsmouth to watch the carrier come in.
As previously reported by The News, the Queen Elizabeth-class carrier left Portsmouth on July 16, 2025, bound for Scotland while carrying out sea trials en-route. She had her propulsion systems upgraded beforehand following earlier problems, but mechanical problems were found while alongside HMNB Portsmouth during routine machinery trials.
She has been at the Rosyth dry dock, where she was originally built, since September last year. Her planned seven month docking period had to be slightly extended for the work to be finalised.
Her return coincides with her sister ship, HMS Prince of Wales, leaving Portsmouth on Friday (April 24) to prepare for the deployment of the Carrier Strike Group to the High North and North Atlantic later this year, which will include activity under NATO’s Arctic Sentry mission.
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