Jason MoorePalma16/10/2019 09:48
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There has been much flag waving over Brexit and putting the Great back into Great Britain over recent months and some have even said that Britannia will rule the waves again. But off the east coast of the United States this week, Britannia is ruling the waves and a small British success story is clear for the world to see. Unfortunately, it has gone largely unnoticed even though it would please many.

This week a giant British-built aircraft carrier has been embarking state-of-the-art fighter jets, putting the Royal Navy back in the super-carrier league. The jets are largely U.S. built but British industry has still played a key role.

The new flagship of the Royal Navy, Queen Elizabeth, was designed and built in Britain and is almost as big as the U.S. Navy aircraft carriers. To put things into perspective if and when the Queen Elizabeth visits Palma she will have to moor in the Bay because she is too big for the Port of Palma.

Nine F35 jets will be embarking aboard the super-carrier as trials continue before the warship, the biggest ever built for the Royal Navy, becomes fully operational. The planes are operated jointly by the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force and belong to historic squadrons such as 617 Squadron, the so-called Dambusters. Whatever your views on defence and defence spending the Queen Elizabeth is clear example of what British industry can achieve.

Shipbuilding may be in serious decline in Britain but Britain can still produce big ships.