Aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth returns to Firth of Clyde

The 65,000-tonne vessel returned to the Glen Mallan ammunition jetty on Loch Long.

HMS Queen Elizabeth has returned to the Firth of Clyde (Royal Navy/PA)

Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has returned to the Firth of Clyde for the second time since her launch in July 2014.

The 65,000 tonne carrier was last seen on the Clyde in March last year when she sailed to Loch Long to be loaded with ammunition ahead of her deployment with the Carrier Strike Group.

The vessel returned to the loch on Monday, berthing once again at Glen Mallan ammunition jetty which completed a £67 million upgrade to accommodate the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth class carriers last year.

The Royal Navy said that HMS Queen Elizabeth is visiting Glen Mallan as part of a routine logistics visit, after returning to sea as the UK’s Very High Readiness Strike Carrier.

The carrier is the largest vessel built for the Royal Navy (Royal Navy/PA)

Captain Ian Feasey, captain of HMS Queen Elizabeth, said: “It is fantastic for the Fleet Flagship to be back in this spectacular region to make use of this upgraded facility supporting our role as the United Kingdom’s Strike Carrier.

“The ship’s drumbeat of visits here over the coming years will punctuate the strong affiliation that we have with Scotland.”

HMS Queen Elizabeth is the largest and most powerful vessel ever constructed for the Royal Navy.

Construction of the vessel began in 2009 with six shipyards around the UK involved in building different sections of the ship which were then transported to Rosyth dockyard in Fife where they were assembled.