A 9,000-tonne chunk of the next generation of the Royal Navy's
aircraft carriers will soon be undertaking a five-day journey
around the top of Scotland to its assembly site.
The Queen Elizabeth class of aircraft carriers will displace more
than 65,000 tonnes when complete. As a result, they need to be
assembled in a series of chunks, and the first of those chunks are
starting to roll off the production lines.
Except there's a slight issue -- the first few chunks, including
the 9,000-tonne "Lower Block 03" -- have been constructed in Clyde, and the
ship is being assembled in Rosyth. That's a
mere 80km away as the crow flies, but there's no easy way to get
9,000 tonnes of hull across land, so instead it'll be taking the
scenic route -- around the very top of the country, a distance of
more like 966km.
It'll be carried on a 6,000-tonne barge called AMT
Trader, which was built in 1978 in Germany and is one of only
two of its size in the world. That ship can carry up to 25,400
tonnes of cargo, and was towed over from the Gulf of Mexico in
March expressly for the purpose. It'll be towed by two tugboats,
and chased on land by a group of Navy cyclists hoping to "Beat the Block".
The block itself houses 160 cabins (sleeping more than 300 crew)
along with the ship's bakery and dining hall, and when complete,
the carrier will also include an operating theatre, cinema, gym,
and dentist's surgery. It's due to enter active service in