Britain's newest capital ship, the 3.1 billion once sterling pound helicopter carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth had to return to port after taking on roughly a quarter million liters of water and putting three crew members into mortal peril (archived). The ship was undergoing sea trials when a pipe carrying sea water burst leading to flooding and accompanying bucking, bending, and splitting damage to the ship. This is the third confirmed time that the sea has breached HMS Queen Elizabeth during her short life. Lacking catapults and arrestors for launching and landing traditional fixed wing aircraft, the ship is expected to carry a mix of the 'B' V/STOL variant of the beleaguered F-35 fighter and a complement of helicopters should the boat survive to reach initial operational capacity in 2021.