The North Corner of Portsmouth Naval Base – an area of 70,000 square metres – has undergone major infrastructure work to become the Queen Elizabeth Class Centre of Specialisation.
The dedicated centre for the Queen Elizabeth Class provides everything the Royal Navy ships and their staff need whilst they are in their base port and on operation.
To accommodate the size and sheer scale of the ships, Portsmouth Harbour was dredged to make way for the 280m long ships – longer than the height of the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth (170m). Three million cubic metres of clay, sand and gravel was excavated from the harbour and approach channel ahead of the arrival of the Queen Elizabeth Class.
Large sections of the existing jetty were replaced, the heart of which dates back to the 1920s. In 2016, Buckingham Palace agreed Princess Royal Jetty as the new name for the berth at Portsmouth Naval Base to accommodate HMS Queen Elizabeth.
The hard standing facilities of the jetty have also been upgraded to support the aircraft carriers. These include a dedicated engineering support area, responsible for ensuring the naval base is ready to support HMS Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales, in the centre’s Illustrious Complex.
The complex, will also act as an amenities centre for the BAE Systems and sub-contractor engineering workforce to provide domestic, catering and recreational facilities.
In the centre’s Ark Royal building, there is a holding area for up to 200 personnel awaiting transfer to the ship at anchor, conference and visitors centres as well as facilities to cater for VIP visitors for exhibitions and visits.
