Rise of the Supercarrier

Once completed, HMS Queen Elizabeth will be the United Kingdom’s largest warship, longer than three football fields and taller than Niagara Falls. But right now, she’s months away from being seaworthy and battle ready. She and her crew must pass a series of grueling tests that will push the gargantuan vessel and her sailors to the breaking point. With exclusive and unprecedented access, we follow Captain Jerry Kyd and his 700 sailors as they acclimate themselves to a new life aboard Britain’s first supercarrier.

Britain’s largest warship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, has left the dockyard and entered the North Sea. With 700 sailors and 200 construction workers on board, she’ll be pushed to the limits before deemed ready for combat. With unprecedented access, follow the ship and her crew through six weeks of sea trials and real emergencies, including a potential man overboard, a disturbing sound from under the ship, and an attempt to land an aircraft on the flight deck.

Britain’s supercarrier HMS Queen Elizabeth is wrapping up sea trials, but she has a long way to go before being battle-ready. First, she and her crew must test a brand-new fire fighting system, make a dramatic rendezvous with the USS George Bush, and team up with American pilots to train on the top-secret F-35 jet, the most advanced fighter ever built. Finally, she heads to her home port of Portsmouth for an emotional arrival and an appointment with someone no one ever keeps waiting: her royal namesake, Her Majesty the Queen.

The aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s $4 billion gamble, is finally ready to set sail from Portsmouth Dockyard on her make-or-break four-month deployment on the high seas. The mission is to forge the brand-new ship’s crew into an effective fighting force. Hop on board for an exclusive look at life above and below deck, and follow the crew as they face the challenges of a Russian warship, floods, fuel leaks, and a headline-making first night on U.S. soil.

After five weeks, HMS Queen Elizabeth has successfully landed the cutting-edge F-35B Lightning stealth fighter for the first time. The next critical phase is to see how the jet operates off a rolling, wind-blown flight deck in daylight, in darkness, and even in a full-blown hurricane. See how the aircraft, supercarrier, and crew hold up during this grueling four-month deployment as they push through unexpected challenges, unrelenting storms, and one of the most dangerous maneuvers a warship can attempt: a replenishment at sea.

During the course of the HMS Queen Elizabeth's first deployment, the F-35B Lightning jet has completed over 200 launches and landings, 20 high-risk shipborne rolling vertical landings, and nearly 100 bomb drops. After four months of grueling training, it all ends with pageantry and military spectacle in New York Harbor. Witness the challenges and achievements of this remarkable ship, her pilots, and her crew during the final weeks of her assignment.