HMS Prince of Wales is not being “mothballed”, the Defence Secretary has said, after reports of so-called “cannibalisation”.

Last August, the £3bn warship broke down off the Isle of Wight as she was leaving Portsmouth for trials in the US and, since then, she has been undergoing repairs, meaning the huge carrier has now spent more time in dry dock than at sea.

Media outlets have reported the ship is undergoing “cannibalisation”, a Royal Navy term for when parts or equipment from one ship are taken and used for another. Repairs to HMS Prince of Wales will reportedly cost £20m. Speaking during a session of questions to defence ministers in the Commons, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace insisted the process was “perfectly normal” and the warship would be back in full service by the autumn.

He was responding to SNP MP Douglas Chapman (Dunfermline and West Fife), who said: “HMS Prince of Wales currently lies in Rosyth for repairs, and I hear it’s being cannibalised for spare parts. “Will this £3 (billion) asset be back in full operational duties by the end of this year?” Mr Wallace said: “Yes, by the autumn. And by the way, cannibalisation – it is perfectly normal for ships to take ships’ stores from each other. “This is not being cannibalised because somehow the ship is off to be mothballed. This ship is going to be back in full service in autumn.”

The 65,000-tonne ship was brought back to Portsmouth for further examination from Babcock before the decision was taken for her to travel to Rosyth.

The Defence Secretary told the Commons that the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is “examining the liabilities and who should cough up” for the “misalignment” issues with the carrier’s propeller shaft. Inspections by divers and engineers found that the 33-tonne starboard propeller – which is the same weight as 30 Ford Fiesta cars – had malfunctioned, with a coupling that was holding it in place breaking.

In March, a Royal Navy spokesperson said: “We expect HMS Prince of Wales to commence her operational programme as planned in autumn 2023. This will include flying training and trials. “An investigation is under way to establish the cause of the starboard shaft failure and, once complete, ministers will provide an update on the outcome.”

The operational programme is expected to include exercises with the F-35B Lightning jets. Source: Forces Network