THE Queen has officially named a new multi-billion pound Royal Navy aircraft carrier which is powered by Rolls-Royce engines developed in Derby.
Her Royal Highness smashed a bottle of whisky, instead of the traditional champagne, on the hull of the 65,000 tonne HMS Queen Elizabeth – the first of two new aircraft carriers being built at Rosyth dockyard, in Fife, Scotland.
The ship, the largest to be built in the UK, is powered by two MT30 gas turbines, which are derived from the Trent 800 aero engine produced at Rolls-Royce's civil aerospace division in Sinfin.
The engine, which is capable of producing around 50,000 horsepower, is the world's most powerful marine gas turbine.
Rolls-Royce said the engines are capable of producing enough energy to power a town the size of Swindon.
The Trent 800 engine powers Boeing 777 aircraft but Rolls-Royce has adapted the technology and applied it to powering ships.
About four-fifths of the parts in the MT30 are the same as the Trent 800.
The turbine starts life on the same production line as the Trent aero engines at Derby.
It is then assembled into the marine configuration and put through a rigorous testing and certification programme at the company's Bristol site.
The engines are then put into a steel package, known as a gas turbine enclosure.
In the case of the engines for the HMS Queen Elizabeth, the packages were made by Cullum Detuners, in Heanor.
The installation of the MT30 involved lifting the engine on to the ship. A large alternator, which is driven by the gas turbine to produce electrical power, was then hoisted into place.
The engines do not just propel the ship, they also generate power for weapons, navigation systems, lighting and power sockets.
The construction of both ships, which are costing a combined estimated total of £6.2 billion, is being overseen by Aircraft Carrier Alliance, of which Rolls-Royce is a member.
Don Roussinos, Rolls-Royce's president of naval was at the naming ceremony, which was also attended by Prime Minister David Cameron and Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond.
He said: "I was filled with immense pride to represent Rolls-Royce's contribution as part of the alliance.
"The naming ceremony marked the beginning of HMS Queen Elizabeth's journey; one that we will be a part of for many years to come."
The warship is as long as 25 buses and can carry 40 jets and helicopters at a time. It will have a permanent crew of almost 700 when it enters service in 2020.
The carrier has still to be fitted out and floated, to make way for the assembly of its sister ship HMS Prince of Wales – for which Rolls-Royce is also supplying engines.
It is not the first time that Rolls-Royce has supplied the MT30. The engine currently powers ships belonging to the US Navy and South Korea.
