Britain's Newest Aircraft Carrier Has Its Own On-Board Pub, Of Course

Spending time at your local pub is a longstanding part of British life. And even when the Brits can’t make it to their local, they apparently like to take their local with them. Just in time for its maiden voyage to the United States, the Royal Navy’s newest aircraft carrier—the HMS Queen Elizabeth—has opened its very own onboard pub: The Queens Head.

To be fair, the HMS Queen Elizabeth has plenty of room for a pub. The warship, which was christened back in 2014, commissioned last year, and is slated to see its first deployment sometime around 2021, is the largest aircraft carrier ever built for the Royal Navy, measuring over three (American) football fields long with enough room for about 60 aircraft.

The pub, which officially opened on August 13, was created as an addition to the Warrant Officers’ & Senior Rates’ Mess, essentially the part of the ship where some of the more senior members of the navy can go eat and hang out. The hope is that The Queens Head will give them a dedicated area to relax and socialize while at sea.

As far as selection, The Queens Head was built with the help of the Wadworth Brewery and will offer a selection of their bottled ales, which fittingly includes Carrier Ale, a beer created for the ship’s commissioning last year.

“We are delighted to finally see the bar come to life,” Chris Welham, Wadworth chief executive, said, according to The News. “It has been a long time in the planning, well before the carrier was commissioned last year. The mess looks really great and will provide a relaxing environment along with some fine beer for the team on board when they have some downtime.”

Meanwhile, Warrant Officer Dave Garraghty suggested that having a pub on board is simply the sensible decision. “The Queen’s Head is very much in keeping with the standards expected of the future fleet flagship and we look forward to becoming ‘the’ venue for both our sailors and embarked forces to relax in throughout our time in commission,” he stated – though it’s hard to imagine there’s anywhere better on an aircraft carrier to hang out.