The construction of HMS Prince of Wales, the second of two new aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy, has progressed to the stage where two of the ship’s largest hull sections (blocks) have been brought together.

This marks the beginning of the assembly phase and happened only days after the Prime Minister announced that the 65,000-tonne vessel will go into service in 2023, ending fears that it might be mothballed or even sold as soon as it was completed in 2017.

Ian Booth, managing director of the Aircraft Carrier Alliance — the prime contractor, comprising BAE Systems, Babcock and Thales — said: “The announcement that HMS Prince of Wales will enter service means there is a real sense of excitement as we start to bring the ship together.”

The dry dock in Rosyth, vacated by HMS Queen Elizabeth in July, was filled with more than 80,000 tonnes of water in preparation for the blocks floating into position during a 5hr operation.

Lower Blocks 02 and 03, weighing in at 6,000 and 8,000 tonnes respectively, were manufactured by BAE Systems at its Portsmouth and Glasgow facilities. Lower Block 02 — the forward section of the hull — houses machinery spaces, stores and switchboards. Lower Block 03 — the mid-section — houses 160 cabins and the ship’s bakery.

Meanwhile, work continues on fitting out HMS Queen Elizabeth and bringing her systems to life in preparation for sea trials in 2016.