NORFOLK, Va. (WVEC) — The U.S. Navy is welcoming some royalty to Naval Station Norfolk.
The HMS Queen Elizabeth -- delayed briefly last week due to Hurricane Florence -- arrived at Naval Station Norfolk on Monday. The British Royal Navy's newest and largest aircraft carrier is taking a tour of the eastern seaboard, which has already included a stop at Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida.
At roughly 65,000 tons, HMS Queen Elizabeth is much smaller than U.S. Navy carriers, but its flight deck and hangar are about the same size. The ship also sports twin islands on the flight deck and a ski jump ramp for fixed-wing aircraft to take off from.
PHOTOS: On board the HMS Queen Elizabeth
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The Royal Navy says the ship was built specifically with the next generation F-35B Lightning II fighter jet in mind.And that's one of the reasons for Queen Elizabeth's Norfolk layover. The Navy Times reports the British carrier will conduct its first F-35 flight operation tests, including the first F-35 launches from a ski ramp while at sea.British aviators have been training for months ahead of the Queen Elizabeth's arrival, conducting exercises with the fifth-generation fighter jet at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.
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