A FAREHAM man has been appointed the first seagoing captain on the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier.

Stephen Moorhouse, who has served for more than 20 years in the Navy, will captain the £3bn HMS Prince of Wales.

The carrier, which is currently under construction at Rosyth Dockyard in Fife in Scotland, is being delivered for the Ministry of Defence by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance and will enter service in 2023.

Captain Moorhouse began his naval career in 1991 as a university cadet aviator and since then has combined his aviation experience with a number of sea command appointments which have included serving as the principal warfare officer on HMS Chatham, as the commanding officer of HMS Lancaster and, most recently, HMS Ocean.

Captain Moorhouse said: “I am honoured to have been appointed as the first seagoing captain of HMS Prince of Wales, a hugely exciting job to be in at such an important time for the Royal Navy.

“Seeing our sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth make her debut in Portsmouth last month was an amazing sight and I look forward to one day bringing HMS Prince of Wales home to the same warm welcome.

“Until then the ship’s company in Rosyth will continue to grow and they have much to be proud of in all the work they have done so far.”