Coronavirus: HMS Queen Elizabeth deployment delayed so crew can be tested
It comes after half the crew of French warship tested positive and raising concerns over infection cost a US captain his job.
Thursday 23 April 2020 16:32, UK
Next week's deployment聽of one the Royal Navy's two聽new aircraft carriers will be delayed by a few days so all onboard can be tested for coronavirus, Sky News understands.
HMS Queen Elizabeth, which is on a tight schedule to be cleared as fully operational this year, will also spend the first fortnight of a two-month training mission in self-isolation close to shore, in case any of her 700 sailors start to show symptoms, a defence source said.
The decision comes after coronavirus ravaged a French and a .
More than 1,000 sailors - almost half the crew - tested positive for COVID-19 on France's flagship, the Charles de Gaulle, which was forced to return to port.
In the US, the outbreak of coronavirus on the USS Theodore Roosevelt cost the captain his job after his commanding officers disapproved of how he raised the alarm about the illness.
Nearly 700 sailors - including the captain - tested positive, and one has died.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Wednesday he spoke directly to the captain of HMS Queen Elizabeth to let him know that he has the authority to turn the ship around and head home if he needs to and it will not count against him.
Admiral Tony Radakin, the First Sea Lord, also had to make the case to Mr Wallace as to why sailing the ship during the pandemic was worth the risk.
The carrier must be allowed to operate with other ships and with aircraft to be fully operational by the end of December.
Skipping the training would run the risk of missing that deadline.
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Britain took a pause on its ability to fly war planes from ships at sea in 2010 as part of swingeing defence cuts to save money.
It means the deadline of 2020 for a return to this capability is something that the Royal Navy does not want to miss.
HMS Queen Elizabeth was due to leave Portsmouth on 27 April.
Instead the crew will all be tested for coronavirus and the departure date slipped, the defence source said.
The source said the new departure date would be "towards the middle" of next week.