Royal Navy's HMS Queen Elizabeth makes historic entry into Belfast harbour

A Royal Navy escort guided the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth into Belfast harbour, the first carrier to dock there since 1965. Weighing 65,000 tonnes and able to host up to 40 aircraft, the ship was originally christened by the late Queen Elizabeth II at Rosyth on 4 July 2014 and bears the name of Queen Elizabeth I. Its four-acre flight deck supports the launch of F-35 Lightning II jets, with four fighters transferable from hangar to deck in a minute.

Onboard facilities include five gyms, a chapel and a medical centre, while its twin 33-tonne propellers are powered by a plant capable of supplying electricity to roughly 1,000 family cars. HMS Queen Elizabeth and its sister HMS Prince of Wales represent the most powerful vessels ever constructed for the Royal Navy.