Royal Navy carrier HMS Prince of Wales delayed in Norway

The Royal Navy's flagship aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, has been delayed in Norway after a technical fault was identified, disrupting its planned schedule. The Ministry of Defence stated the ship is currently conducting a port visit in Stavanger and is expected to set sail again in the coming days.

The 65,000-tonne, £3.5 billion warship had set sail from Scotland last month for a deployment to provide security in the Atlantic and High North regions alongside NATO allies. The delay comes as the carrier was preparing to travel to the United States to participate in events commemorating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Defence sources described the issue as a minor technical fault, though some reports suggest it may involve the propeller shaft, a component that has caused problems for this vessel and its sister ship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, in the past. Officials have not publicly confirmed the specific nature of the fault.

This is not the first significant breakdown for HMS Prince of Wales, which entered service in 2019. In August 2022, a major mechanical failure involving a propeller shaft coupling forced the ship to be towed back to port just...