Fire Aboard Royal Navy Carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth Quickly Extinguished

 

The UK Royal Navy is investigating the cause of a fire that broke out aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth when the vessel was moored at a naval base on the coast of Scotland. 

At about 2350 hours on March 8, Scottish Fire and Rescue received a request for assistance from the carrier, which was moored alongside at the Glen Mallan Jetty. The facility is an ammunition loading pier used by the Royal Navy at HMNB Clyde. 

Scottish Fire dispatched three fire trucks and a ladder truck to the scene. They remained on standby while the crew dealt with the fire, departing again at 0215 hours on the 9th. 

The fire was put out quickly, a spokesperson for the UK Ministry of Defence told media this weekend. No injuries were reported. 

"We take the health and safety of our personnel extremely seriously and are investigating to understand the cause," the Royal Navy said in a statement.

The fire is the latest in a string of setbacks for HMS Queen Elizabeth. She was supposed to carry out a high-profile mission in February leading a NATO exercise, but days before departing, she had to stand down because of problems with a shaft coupling. Her sister ship HMS Prince of Wales has also had serious issues with shaft couplings, requiring protracted shipyard repairs.