Y13 UPS students board HMS Queen Elizabeth

The Year 13 Uniformed Protective Services class attended a trip to a Navy base in Portsmouth. We were fortunate enough to be invited onto the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier (R08). This event hasn’t taken place before and so we appreciated this rare opportunity.

The Queen Elizabeth ship is the largest and the most powerful vessel ever constructed for the Royal Navy. This warship is capable of carrying up to 40 aircraft, state-of-the-art weaponry and communication systems. It has five gyms, a chapel and a medical centre. The ship’s two propellers weigh 33 tonnes each. The powerplant behind them generates enough power to run 1,000 family cars.

During the tour we were all spoken to by a plethora of navy soldiers and officers.  They explained the different roles within the Royal Navy, such as a landing signal officer which was extremely interesting and informative and linked well to one of the topics we are studying. We also had talks from a firefighter, aircraft operations, air traffic control and communications. We were allowed to have a go with the fire-fighter equipment and handled the water hose, which we all found fun.

The tour led us to many areas of the ship and gave us an insight into the life on board the ship, for example where everyone eats and sleeps. We gained lots of information on how the control room works and the different tasks sailors have to do.

Once the tour was over we had the opportunity to go around the hangar and speak to serving full time and reserve Royal Navy sailors.  We were able to have a go at the rock climbing wall, fitness tests such as the pull up bar and use some of the VR sets. We gained lots of information linked to the coursework module we are working on.

This was an amazing experience and one which may not be available again, as the ship may not be in shore or open to schools again in the future.  We thank the Royal Navy for a well-organised day and for giving us the opportunity to learn more about the roles and life in the Royal Navy.