A rare guest is expected in the port of Hamburg: Aircraft carrier HMS "Queen Elizabeth" (65,600 tonnes) of the British Royal Navy is part of a NATO exercise and is making its inaugural visit to Hamburg.
Aircraft carrier HMS "Queen Elizabeth" of the British Royal Navy in Hamburg harbour, Photo: M. Savasogan, elb-bureaux.com
The aircraft carrier was originally due to arrive in Hamburg on Monday morning. According to the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA), however, the arrival was delayed due to strong winds. Contrary to expectations, however, the aircraft carrier arrived at the cruise terminal in Steinwerder at around 15:00.
Steinwerder was chosen because the water police can shield the warship particularly well there. Beforehand, the harbour area was searched and the harbour basin was submerged. In addition to the police, the 1st Homeland Security Company of the Hamburg State Command will also secure the area in Steinwerder. For security reasons, there will be no open ship for the people of Hamburg. Hamburg's First Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) will go on board with a delegation on Tuesday.
No British aircraft carrier has been a guest in Hamburg harbour for 13 years. In this respect, today is certainly a must for shipspotters. It is planned that the ship with its up to 1,500 crew members will remain in Hamburg until 23 November 2024. HMS "Queen Elizabeth" was put into service in 2017. The aircraft carrier has vertical take-off aircraft and helicopters on board. The type ship is 284 metres long and at 73 metres wide, the "Queen" is wider than any container giant, which is why ship operations on the Elbe will be restricted during its entry.
Under the title: Traditionally a strong partner: German-British naval cooperation the Marine Press and Information Centre provides the following background material:
The German Navy and the Royal Navy have enjoyed an extremely good and substantial co-operation and trusting partnership for decades.
In the operational area, ships, boats and aircraft of the German Navy and Royal Navy have been working together excellently for a long time in various mandated missions and manoeuvres.
Completion of the British Fleet Operational Standards and Training (FOST) is mandatory for all German warships and also prepared the frigate "Hessen" excellently for her challenging mission in the Red Sea.
German corvette F 260 Braunschweig and British destroyer D 36 HMS Defender arriving for Kiel Week 2022. Photo: BW/M.Mohr
A twinning agreement exists between the German Navy's officer training school, the Mürwik Naval College in Flensburg, and the British naval officer training school, the Britania Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. On this basis, cadets from both nations receive joint leadership training and nautical training at the training centres of the other host nation.
The German Navy's operational principles and procedures are consistently designed for interoperability in a multinational organisation with NATO and the EU. All of this serves the goal of gaining depth of capability and sustainability - through the exchange and integration of maritime capabilities in a multinational organisation.
On Wednesday, 23 October 2024, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and his British counterpart John Healey signed a new defence agreement in London, the so-called "Trinity House Agreement". It sets the course for even closer cooperation between the two countries. It is also an expression of the British reorientation towards Europe.
The one-week visit (18-23 November 2024) of the aircraft carrier "HMS Queen Elizabeth" to the Hanseatic City of Hamburg is a visible sign of the implementation of the Trinity House Agreement.
Background information on the "Trinity House Agreement":
https://www.bmvg.de/de/presse/verteidigungsvereinbarung-deutschland-und-grossbritannien-5851260
Source: Bw (Press portal)
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