Oh how embarrasing???

Oops - we spend £3Bn in building the super-duper aircraft carrier and the bloody thing has sprung an enormous leak!!!


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42406138

Re: Oh how embarrasing???

Anyone with any common sense would know that ships take part in sea trials with the aim of pushing the ship to limits in order to find and repair any weaknesses, it is quite normal to have a small problem like the shaft seal. The trials are similar to having a 'snagging list' on a new house.

I don't see anything 'embarrassing' about it at all but then I am not full of hatred for my country and looking for any tiny thing to criticise

Re: Oh how embarrasing???

I do find it disconcerting that you always seem to take joy from the misfortune of others UJ, you really must be a sad and sour little man.

Re: Oh how embarrasing???

I saw that on the Breakfast News this morning. I was thinking, "ohhh that's not good" I don't remember any other new ships having problems, but then I don't always pay that much attention to what's going in the Forces with their new toys...

Re: Oh how embarrasing???

Spot on Meg. Usually with something as complicated as ships like these small faults like this often show up. that's what Sea Trials are for, to find and put these right. I thought Joe reckoned to have been to sea?

Re: Oh how embarrasing???

Perspective.....I had a new Fairline 40' during sea trials in The Solent I had a snagging list of 20 items.....from squeaky hinges on the galley cupboards to a slight miss at 1600rpm on one engine.

This was normal, nothing to worry about. That's the whole point of sea trials.

If nothing was found I'd be more worried and questioning the marine engineer's qualifications.

Now, 200l of sea water per hour is NOT a problem......a £30 bilge pump removes 1100 gallons per hour.....so it really is no problem....mischief news.

Re: Oh how embarrasing???

I would say this is part and parcel for a new ship. The contractor is to pay for any repairs reqd. Itt takes time for all the various parts to settle so the need for snagging.

Re: Oh how embarrasing???

I agree with all the posts, well apart from the first one of course.

Re: Oh how embarrasing???

Spot on Tpin, there are thousands of 'News Hounds' just waiting to be the first to report a story like this and thinking they are the 'Bees Knees' among their peers, it's why we pay to send some of our young people to university. Trouble is, if people ignored it they would soon be out of a job....I very rarely read the news these days it's so full of bovine excretia.....

Re: Oh how embarrasing???

I appreciate the use of sea trials to iron out faults, but then the stupid sods in the MoD went and 'signed off' on the vessel to commission acceptance in the Royal Navy. Having identified the fault in the sea trials they should have handed the vessel back to the yard to have these faults 'fixed' before a further set of sea trials and if all is well then 'sign off' acceptance.

The Royal Navy is trying to play down the problem, after first trying to hide it.

It is clearly embarrassing.

They have known about the problem for some time but they did not want it to get in the way of the commissioning ceremony in front of the Queen.

The truth is similar leaks in other warships are not unusual and can be fixed relatively easily.

The difference this time though is the scale of HMS Queen Elizabeth and the fact she has just been handed over to the navy.