New jetty for Navy’s giant aircraft carriers named

Her Royal Highness Princess Anne has officially named the jetty which will house the Royal Navy’s giant new aircraft carriers in Portsmouth.

The Princess unveiled a plaque at Portsmouth Naval Base on Monday 20 Mar 17, officially naming the vast berth as The Princess Royal Jetty. It will be home to the Royal Navy’s two new 65,000-tonne Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers.

Formerly known as Middle Slip Jetty, the jetty has been upgraded and strengthened to support the carriers as part of a raft of infrastructure upgrades taking place ahead of the arrival of the first ship – HMS Queen Elizabeth – later this year.

Minister for Defence Procurement, Harriett Baldwin, said: “The work on The Princess Royal Jetty is a fantastic example of how we are investing in the future of the Royal Navy and is the culmination of £100 million of infrastructure upgrades in Portsmouth in preparation for our two new aircraft carriers.

“The Queen Elizabeth class carriers, together with our F-35 jets will transform our ability to project power around the world.”