New home for Britain's new aircraft carriers opens

A new base, built at a cost of 150 million U.S. dollars to house Britain's new biggest and most powerful aircraft carriers, was officially opened Friday.

The investment has been carried out at the Royal Navy's Portsmouth Naval Base on the English Channel in readiness for the arrival of the new giant warships.

The facility was opened by Defense Secretary Sir Michael Fallon.

The first of the carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth, is now well into her commissioning phase and is expected to undergo sea trials early in the new year and arrive at her new home in Portsmouth in late spring 2017.

The infrastructure works form an important phase on the carrier's journey to becoming an operational warship, ready for duties over the next five decades.

The facilities include power facilities, a reinforced jetty, and an area equivalent to over 200 football pitches dredged in the harbour so far.

Secretary Fallon said at Friday's ceremony: "The investment in the Portsmouth Naval Base will ensure that it is a fitting and state-of-the-art home for our new warships from spring next year."

Fallon said the Queen Elizabeth and her sister carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, will lead Britain's Royal Navy in a dangerous world.

In order to prepare the harbour and dockyard infrastructure for the 65,000 tonne carriers, 276 meters of jetty have been reinforced with over 3,300 tonnes of new steel work. New navigation lights have been installed in the harbour and Solent, with huge new fenders and gangways delivered to accommodate the giant ships. Endit