THE Queen Elizabeth is the fourth aircraft carrier to be built at Cammell Laird’s Birkenhead yard, including two Ark Royals.
At 65,000 tonnes she is three times the size of current carriers, higher than Nelson’s column and offers four acres of ‘sovereign territory’ for deployment anywhere in the world.
She can carry 40 aircraft, which is twice the capacity of existing vessels, and will have a crew of 1,600 in total.
The two aircraft lifts which can move two joint striker fighters from the hangar to flight deck in 60 seconds are so powerful that together they could lift the entire ship’s crew.
About 40,000 tonnes of steel will be used to build Queen Elizabeth, one-and-a-half times the amount used to build the new Wembley Stadium.
The amount of cabling being installed inside the control section of the vessel would stretch from Liverpool to London.
About 31,000 metres of piping will be fitted inside the blocks being built at Cammell Laird which is enough to stretch through the Queensway tunnel connecting Liverpool and Birkenhead more than nine times.
