Royal Navy's flagship aircraft carrier left 'marooned' after breaking down AGAIN

The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales has suffered another breakdown, leaving her "marooned" off the coast of Norway.

The vessel was forced to dock in Stavanger for repairs after a technical fault was discovered during a Nato exercise in the High North.

She had been en route to celebrations marking 250 years since the US Declaration of Independence, and a run-in with Donald Trump - who has previously mocked the Royal Navy as "old and broken down."

The 65,000-tonne carrier has suffered a string of problems since entering service.

A senior naval source told the Daily Mail the carrier's latest troubles were "devastating for morale."

"With morale already rock-bottom over defence spending and delays over the Defence Investment Plan, the last thing the Royal Navy needed was HMS Prince of Wales marooned in a Norwegian fjord," they added.

The fault is believed to involve the propeller shaft, a recurring issue for the Prince of Wales.

The MoD admitted a "minor technical issue was identified" - and though she sailed for the 10-day Nato exercise Dynamic Mongoose, she returned to port for repairs.

Those are estimated to take longer to fix than initially believed, according to NavyLookout.

The ship's company are thought to have the capacity and spares to undertake the work themselves - but access is awkward and it is uncertain precisely how long it will take.

Propeller issues have also plagued her sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth, which was withdrawn from a Nato exercise in 2024 for similar reasons.

Two years earlier, the Prince of Wales broke down near the Isle of Wight while heading to joint exercises with American and Canadian forces, requiring a tow back to harbour.

She then spent nine months in dry dock because of a misaligned starboard propeller.

The Queen Elizabeth experienced shaft seal leaks in 2019, taking on 200 litres of water every hour.

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The Prince of Wales then suffered serious leaks over several months in 2020, with repairs said to have cost as much as £3million.

Analysis in 2023 showed she had spent a third of her active service undergoing repairs.

And last night, a naval source said: "To rub salt into the wounds, it appears the breakdown has been caused by the recurrence of a previous problem.

"Crucially the Royal Navy signed off for responsibility for the maintenance of its carriers from the manufacturers without confirming the carriers were entirely seaworthy.

"So every time there is an issue with the propellers, the taxpayer picks up the tab."

Taxpayers are also waiting to see what the Prime Minister does with their money on defence - with a long-awaited review of military spending expected next week review of military spending expected next week.

Disputes with the Treasury over funding could force yet another postponement after a year of setbacks.

Sir Keir Starmer told LBC: "We do have to be ready, and I've always argued that deterrence is the best way of avoiding war, but to deter, you have to be ready, and that's what this is all about."

Ministers have been warned of a £28billion shortfall in defence plans - though the Treasury is thought to consider this unaffordable.

Rachel Reeves is attempting to negotiate the figure down from £18billion to £15billion - in the face of rising fears that Russia could strike a Nato ally by 2030.