I name this ship… after myself’: Queen uses bottle of WHISKY to officially name giant 65,000-tonne vessel that is the Royal Navy’s great white hope
- HMS Queen Elizabeth was officially named by the monarch at ceremony in Rosyth Dockyard, Fife
- Her Majesty described the ship, which will carry fighter jets and helicopters around the world, as ‘source of inspiration’
- She pressed a button to release bottle of Isle of Islay malt whisky to ‘christen’ ship rather than traditional champagne
- Bowmore distillery provided its ‘Bowmore Surf’ whisky for the ceremony to celebrate Scottish links
- 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier is the Royal Navy’s largest ever ship, and will become fully operational by 2020
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The Queen has ushered in a new era of British naval power by naming the Royal Navy’s biggest ever ship after herself.
In a ceremony at Rosyth Dockyard in Fife,the Queen gave the signal for a bottle of whisky to be smashed against the hull of the 65,000-tonne vessel, confirming its title as HMS Queen Elizabeth.
The monarch, wearing pale blue, spoke of her pride at being associated with the Royal Navy, and called the huge ship a ‘magnificent achievement’.
In the run-up to the Queen’s action the red arrows made a dramatic flypast in front of dignitaries including the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prime Minister.
- Makes an old sailor very proud to see this great ship join the fleet. But Alas it makes this old sailor very sad that they wasted a good bottle of Scotch to name it!!! In my day a couple of sailors would have been below the bow with a bucket to catch the spilled whisky!!! What made me the proudest of all was to see the pretty little girl wearing her Dad’s Submarine Dolphins.
- God Bless and keep reading.
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