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HMS Prince of Wales: Repairs and Maintenance

Question for Ministry of Defence

UIN 61724, tabled on 12 October 2022

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many days has HMS Prince of Wales spent in harbour because of mechanical difficulties since its commission into the Royal Navy.

Answered on

17 October 2022

HMS PRINCE OF WALES was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 10 December 2019 and has since spent 267 days at sea.

Between October 2020 and April 2021, the ship was alongside for 193 days undergoing repairs to damage caused by floodwater.

In August 2022, HMS PRINCE OF WALES suffered a shaft coupling failure which requires a complex repair. She arrived in Rosyth to prepare for dry dock repairs on Monday 10 October. These repairs are ongoing.

The normal operating cycle of every ship involves the vessel entering different readiness levels depending on their programmes, periods of refit and Departmental planning requirements.

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