"Big Lizzy" is preparing to deter the Houthis in the Red Sea... a possible British step
Britain may deploy the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth in the Red Sea in the coming days to confront the Houthis.
The British newspaper "Daily Mail" revealed that if London takes the step, this aircraft carrier will be the largest and most powerful ship ever for the Royal Navy in the region.
The newspaper said that the United Kingdom will send the aircraft carrier known as “Big Lizzie” to the region to replace the American aircraft carrier “USS Dwight D. Eisenhower” upon its return to the United States.
She pointed out that the possible step would be in the context of the presence of British forces in the Middle East currently “on high alert” in anticipation of Houthi attacks.
"Closing the gap"
The newspaper quoted Armed Forces Minister James Hebbey as saying that sending the ship would help “fill a gap in US deployments,” with the destroyer HMS Diamond also stationed in the Red Sea to protect shipping on the main trade route.
He added: “The reality is that Eisenhower cannot stay there forever, so it is just a matter of maintaining an aircraft carrier presence in the region where we can cooperate with the Americans to provide the capability there.”
Big Lizzy officially entered service with the Royal Navy on December 7, 2017, ten years after the request of then Defense Minister Des Browne.
10,000 people worked to build the ship in yards across the UK before it was transported and assembled.
Properties
The ship is 280 meters long, has a lifespan of half a century, has a flight deck of four acres, and can carry up to 72 aircraft, with a maximum capacity of 36 F-35 fighter aircraft.
The ship weighs 65 thousand tons and has a maximum speed of more than 25 knots. It is equipped with the latest weapons and communications systems, in addition to five gyms, a chapel, and a medical center.
There are also 364,000 meters of pipes inside the ship, and its length from keel to mast is 56 metres. The ship’s two propellers weigh 33 tons each, and behind them there is an engine that generates enough energy to operate 1,000 family cars.
