THE UK’s newest £3.1 billion aircraft carrier is scheduled to depart Rosyth Dockyard for the first time today (Thursday).

HMS Prince of Wales is expected to leave the port this afternoon after construction began on the navy vessel in September 2014.

At 280-metres long and weighing 65,000 tonnes, she will squeeze out into the Firth of Forth for her maiden voyage and will be tested in areas including speed and propulsion.

She will remain at anchor off Rosyth for up to three to five days before she travels upriver and under the three bridges.

Captain Darren Houston, who was second in command of sister ship the Queen Elizabeth, will be at the helm.

It will see both of the UK’s biggest and most powerful warships at sea together for the first time. The HMS Queen Elizabeth was also launched from Rosyth, leaving the site in June 2017. The two Elizabeth class aircraft carriers will be used for work ranging from high-intensity fighting to humanitarian aid and disaster relief.

HMS Queen Elizabeth is currently undergoing sea trials after a period of maintenance at Babcock International’s Rosyth base.

She spent six weeks there and left in May, with managing director Sean Donaldson stating that she remained in “optimum condition”.

The carrier is capable of carrying up to 40 aircraft, as well as state-of-the-art weaponry and communications systems.

And more ships are on the way after it was announced last week that Babcock had won the £1.25 billion deal to build the next generation of Royal Navy warships.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson made the announcement last Thursday that five ships would be assembled at the company’s Rosyth Dockyard.

Work will begin on the fleet immediately once the formal contract is awarded and signed later this financial year.

The news comes as a welcome boost for the town with hundreds of jobs safeguarded and more to be created.

Fears had been raised that workers could lose their jobs following the two HMS ships’ completion unless another deal was secured.

More than 2,500 jobs across the UK are expected to be supported as a result of the Type 31 programme.