Naval Ships

Royal Navy begins investigation into fire incident on aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth

Baird Maritime

The Royal Navy has launched an investigation into a fire incident that occurred aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth while it was moored at a naval base in Scotland earlier this month.

The incident occurred at around 23:50 local time on March 8 while the carrier was tied alongside an ammunition loading pier at HMNB Clyde in Faslane.

The ship's crew and local civilian firefighting units worked to contain the blaze, finally extinguishing it by 04:30 on March 9. No injuries have been reported, and no ordnance was damaged as the carrier had arrived at Faslane for its ammunition to be unloaded prior to undergoing repairs to its starboard propeller shaft coupling.

The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) said the "isolated fire" resulted only in minor damage to the crew accommodation spaces.

The MOD clarified that the incident will not negatively impact Queen Elizabeth's operations.