Stephen Morgan MP today attended the commissioning of the new Aircraft Carrier by HM Queen Elizabeth II.
Labour MP for Portsmouth South, Stephen Morgan, has welcomed Her Majesty the Queen to his hometown for the commissioning of the first of the Royal Navy’s new Aircraft Carriers.
Stephen joined Armed Forces personnel and their families, alongside the First Sea Lord, as Her Majesty boarded her namesake ship for the official ceremony marking the vessel’s entry into service.
HMS Queen Elizabeth is the largest and most expensive ship in the history of the Royal Navy. She is part of the newly developed Carrier Strike Group and will be joined by her sister ship, HMS Prince of Wales, which will also be based in Portsmouth.
The First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Phillip Jones, said:
“We have been on a long, complicated – but committed – journey to get to this point and commissioning the ship is a key milestone. The point of the big grey ship is it’s enormously big, flexible, capable, and adaptable”.
Stephen Morgan MP, added:
“This is an immensely proud day for our great city and a transformational moment in the defence of our nation.
It was a real privilege to be on board for Her Majesty the Queen’s official acceptance of the Carrier.
I’d like to thank everyone whose hard work has gone into making the construction and commissioning of HMS QE such a success as well the 700 strong crew who I know will so ably serve her and our nation.
In Portsmouth’s long history as the home of the Royal Navy, this is by far the largest and most advanced ship we’ve ever had the honour to have based in our dockyard. The new aircraft carriers will be at the centre of a revolutionised maritime capability and a new era in UK naval defence”.
