THE first of the new aircraft carriers built at Rosyth Dockyard has been fired up for the first time.

Powering the diesel generators on HMS Queen Elizabeth was Philip Dunne, Minister of State for Defence Procurement, who took part in a short ceremony at the yard on Thursday.

He was accompanied by Rear Admiral Henry Parker, representing the Ministry of Defence on the Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA), and Sir Peter Gershon, the Independent Chairman of the ACA.

Mr Dunne said, “It is a real pleasure to be back in Scotland, home of the UK’s shipbuilding industry, to witness the impressive progress that is being made on our new aircraft carriers.

“Powering up the diesel generator today marks an important milestone on the journey to bring these highly versatile ships into service with our Armed Forces. They will be the largest, most capable and effective surface warships ever constructed in the UK.

"The build programme is supporting thousands of jobs across the country, with over 4000 of those jobs at Rosyth and the Clyde.” The 65,000-tonne flagship for the Royal Navy has undergone months of preparation work by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA) to start the first of her four Wärtsilä diesel engines, which are directly coupled to the General Electric (GE) generators. Together, each power unit weighs approximately 200 tonnes – the weight of 200 family-sized cars.

Jon Pearson, HMS Queen Elizabeth delivery director, said, “This is a huge milestone on the road to delivery and is a testament to the hard work and determination of the delivery and commissioning teams working here in Rosyth.

“The amount of pipework, electrical connections and systems that have had to be installed, tested and finally commissioned is staggering. I’m incredibly proud of everyone working on HMS Queen Elizabeth.

"She is now well on the way to becoming an operational warship that will be the flagship of the Royal Navy for the next 50 years.” The diesel generator sets will be the main cruising engines for the ship but when higher speed is required, two MT30 gas turbine alternators will also be used. Together, they will produce 109MW of power, enough to power a town the size of Swindon.

Jim Bennett, power and populsion director for the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, said, “There is something particularly special about the starting of the first diesel engine on any vessel.

"The gentle vibration, reassuring hum and first smoke appearing from the funnel, creates a heartbeat and breathes life into a new ship. This is a great moment for the project and the Royal Navy.”