The UK Ministry of Defence has reported a "minor technical issue" with HMS Prince of Wales, one of the Royal Navy's two flagship aircraft carriers, while it was docked in Stavanger, Norway. The vessel had been participating in a deployment with NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) across the North Atlantic and Arctic regions.
Details of the Incident
The HMS Prince of Wales, built at a cost of £6.4 billion, set sail earlier this month from Loch Long in Scotland to provide security in the Atlantic and High North. It was joined by the Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan and tanker RFA Tidespring. The ship can carry up to 72 aircraft and accommodate 1,600 personnel.
An MoD spokesperson stated: "HMS Prince of Wales is currently conducting a port visit to Stavanger as part of the Carrier Strike Group's deployment across the North Atlantic and Arctic; we expect her to set sail in the coming days." The issue is considered minor, and repairs are underway.
Previous Mechanical Issues
This is not the first technical problem for HMS Prince of Wales. In 2022, it broke down en route to the US due to a misaligned propeller shaft. It also experienced flooding twice in its first year of service after being commissioned in 2019. Its sister ship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, was forced to withdraw from a NATO exercise in 2024 due to a coupling problem on its starboard propeller shaft. Maintaining and repairing these carriers has already cost over £1 billion.
Broader Context
The UK's military capacity has faced scrutiny, with a persistent "rhetoric to reality gap" where the government positions the UK as a global power despite stretched resources. At the end of the Cold War, the UK had 51 destroyers and frigates, with defence spending at 3.2% of GDP. Currently, spending is 2.4% of GDP, with a Labour pledge to increase it to 2.5% by April 2027.
The HMS Prince of Wales is expected to resume its deployment shortly after the technical issue is resolved.
