How to Build an Aircraft carrier

Chris Terrill has built himself an enviable reputation for his documentary work with the Royal Navy, both afloat and with the Royal Marines – he passed the green beret commando course! This book complements his two BBC documentaries on HMS Queen Elizabeth and is succinctly and accurately sub-titled, “The incredible story of the men and women who brought Britain’s biggest warship to life”. Building the two largest warships ever built for the Royal Navy is not just a marvellous feat of engineering, but also a statement of intent and national belief. The cost of £6 billion plus for both ships is a victory for the Navy Board in winning the funding battle against conflicting demands from the other two services. Unlike the abortive plan to build CVA-01, this project had the support of the RAF who recognised the importance of the ships for the national STOVL F-35B programme. With QE and her sister ship Prince of Wales now operational, these ships are something to be proud of. Inevitably the number of statistics is mind boggling – I was reassured to find that the double decker bus is still a unit of measurement, along with tennis courts and football pitches, but sadly no Queen Mary funnels. The book mirrors TV documentary style, focussing on certain characters to tell the story of the ship and her builders. The challenge of taking a highly complex new ship to sea will always be accompanied by various incidents. Clearly it made good television to have some “real life dramas” and the book follows this, making for a relaxed style, but compulsive reading none the less. As with all ships, it is the people that make it, and QE certainly has her fair share of characters. However, it is not just about the naval personnel, but about the myriad of trades involved in the buildin, from the diver who found the 1500kg bomb in Portsmouth harbour during dredging operations preparing for the ship, to the cabinet maker selecting oak and making the Captain’s dining table, complete with a “time capsule” letter box. The achievement of getting the ship to sea, through trials and work up and then deploying to USA to carry out the first flight operations with the F-35, including the first ever Shipborne Rolling Vertical Landing Deck after some 10 years of not operating fixed wing carriers, is a tribute to the leadership of the command team and hard work from all onboard. It is nothing new to hear the phrase that the “Navy isn’t what it used to be”; what this book demonstrates is that the Navy may have changed but the people are still the same mix, and without them we would not have such a potent platform as the QE operational and delivering fixed wing carrier air power. This is a hugely enjoyable book that will appeal to the retired, serving and those looking to serve. I look forward to the next offering from Chris Terrill covering the CSG deployment to the Far East. Highly recommended.