HMS Queen Elizabeth has successfully completed her first dry docking in Rosyth which comprised primarily of a routine hull survey and maintenance of her underwater systems. This £5M project sustained 100 jobs with Babcock at its peak. The MoD had been considering tenders for this work for over a year but it is not surprising that Rosyth was selected as the winner. HMS Prince of Wales is still being fitted out onsite before delivery and much of the highly skilled workforce and management team that built QE is still employed there. The support facilities are fantastic and the site has a high standard of security.

The team at Hythe are proud to have supported both the Royal Navy’s new Flagship and the team at Babcock in Rosyth. Hythe Engineering conducted welding and fabrication support during the refit as well as Rigging, slinging and fleeting work aboard the carrier.

Hythe was able to showcase its ability to integrate with the fantastic Babcock team with up to 30 Hythe staff involved on any given day.

The Royal Navy aircraft carrier has left Rosyth and is making a trip to her home port of HMNB Portsmouth where she will no doubt take pride of place in the upcoming 75th anniversary of D-Day Celebrations.

After the celebrations, Queen Elizabeth will conduct a period of helicopter trials in UK waters before heading to the east coast of the US later this year for more fixed-wing flight trials involving Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II aircraft.