Divers are sent in to start work on fixing a leak on the Royal Navy's £3.1bn aircraft carrier after the 'significant' defect was discovered during sea trials
- Staff on HMS Queen Elizabeth found faulty leak on board the Navy warship
- But a significant defect has been found aboard which could cost millions to fix
- A maintenance boat was seen carrying divers to the ship as it was in Portsmouth
- Williamson said repairs will not cost taxpayers a penny and contractors will pay
Divers have today been sent to start work to repair a leak aboard the Royal Navy's new £3.1billion aircraft carrier after the defect was discovered by military top brass.
HMS Queen Elizabeth was launched just weeks ago but the fault was found near the propeller shaft - meaning it was taking 200 litres of water every hour.
A maintenance boat has been sent in carrying divers who have been taking to the water to survey the hole in the warship as she sat in Portsmouth.
The repairs are expected to cost millions of pounds - but Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has promised it will not cost taxpayers a penny.
Instead he said the contractors who built her will have to cough up the cash to fix the leaky seal.
He said: 'This isn't going to cost the British taxpayer a penny.'
Military top brass have scrambled to dispatch mechanics to plug the hole in the warship as she docked in Portsmouth harbour today
Divers have been looking at the leaky seal to try to work out how to patch it up. The repairs are expected to cost millions of pounds but Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has promised the repairs will not cost taxpayers an extra penny as the contractor will pick up the bill
Sent out to sea a few weeks ago, the warship - dubbed 'Big Lizzie' - is the biggest and most powerful ever built by Britain. But the military top brass were left red-faced when the leak was discovered
He added: 'This is the reason why we have the sea trials, to make sure that everything is working absolutely perfectly.
'This is something that work is currently ongoing to deal with, and HMS Queen Elizabeth will be going out early on in the new year to continue her sea trials and making sure she is fully operable in terms of helicopters and the F-35 being able to fly off her deck.'
Sent out to sea a few weeks ago, the warship - dubbed 'Big Lizzie' - is the biggest and most powerful ever built by Britain.
But a leak in the inflatable seal around one of the propeller shafts is causing the carrier to take on 200 litres of water every hour.
Mr Williamson insisted that despite the fault HMS Queen Elizabeth is 'the most magnificent aircraft carrier in the world'.
He added: 'When she is fully operational and she is being deployed right around the world, she is going to make a significant difference as to what we can actually achieve and what we are able to do as a global power.'
The Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA), which built the vessel, confirmed they will pay for the repairs.
A spokeswoman for ACA said the leaky seal was known about prior to HMS Queen Elizabeth being commissioned and accepted into the Royal Navy.
She added that the vessel could be taken to sea, that the problem is expected to take a couple of days to fix, and that it should be rectified in the new year - without any need to take the ship into a dry dock.
'It is normal practice for a volume of work and defect resolution to continue following vessel acceptance,' she said.
'This will be completed prior to the nation's flagship recommencing her programme at sea in 2018.'
Weighing a colossal 65,000 tonnes, the Queen Elizabeth is 919ft long with a flight deck of four acres – space for three football pitches.
The Royal Navy’s new £3.1billion aircraft carrier has a ‘significant’ defect – and could cost millions to repair
Gavin Williamson, pictured with members of the armed Forces on Horse Guards Parade today, promised that taxpayers will not have to foot the bill and that instead the contractors who built her will have to cough up to fix the leaky seal
It was assembled at Rosyth from nine blocks built in six UK shipyards, including BAE Systems Surface Ships in Glasgow, Babcock at Appledore, Devon, and Babcock at Rosyth.
At present, the warship has a crew of around 700, but that will increase to 1,600 when it has a full complement of around 40 F-35B jets and Crowsnest helicopters.
It will have an operational range of up to 10,000 nautical miles and will be capable of speeds in excess of 25 knots (29mph).
The Queen commissioned the warship earlier this month, saying it embodied the ‘best of British’.
In a moving speech to the crew in Portsmouth, she said: ‘The most powerful and capable ship ever to raise the White Ensign, she will in the years and decades ahead represent the country’s resolve on the global stage.’
The Navy has not had an aircraft carrier since HMS Illustrious was scrapped in 2014.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: ‘An issue with a shaft seal has been identified during HMS Queen Elizabeth’s sea trials; this is scheduled for repair while she is alongside at Portsmouth.
‘It does not prevent her from sailing again and her sea trials programme will not be affected.’
An ACA spokesman told The Sun: ‘It is normal practice for a volume of work and defect resolution to continue following vessel acceptance.’
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