Aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales may miss important flight trials with the F-35B Lightning jets off the US coast after it suffered a propeller shaft malfunction shortly after setting sail, the Royal Navy has confirmed.
The £3 billion warship left from Portsmouth Naval Base on Saturday before an “emerging mechanical issue” occurred while off the south east coast of the Isle of Wight. The departure of the Nato flagship had already been delayed from Friday because of a technical problem, although it is not known if the incidents are related.
Shortly after the 65,000-tonned ship sailed on Saturday, a mechanical fault was discovered with the starboard shaft. The carrier languished about five miles from Shanklin before it limped back to Stokes Bay at Gosport, Hampshire, travelling at a rate of four knots accompanied by tugs for the return journey to calmer waters.
