AN investigation is underway after a fire broke out onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth while it was docked.

The Rosyth-built aircraft carrier, the largest and most powerful vessel ever constructed for the Royal Navy, was reportedly at Glen Mallan on Loch Long when flames were discovered late on Friday evening.

It's understood there were no reported injuries and no ordnance was involved in the incident.

The Royal Navy said it was working with The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to establish the cause of the fire.

The aircraft carrier is on its way back to Rosyth for repairs after a problem with the starboard propeller shaft coupling - propeller issues have also affected sister ship the HMS Prince of Wales, which left the yard in July after nine months in dry dock.

Dunfermline Press: The HMS Prince of Wales leaving the Forth last July after nine months of repairs. Now its sister ship, the HMS Queen Elizabeth, is homeward bound as she now needs to be fixed.The HMS Prince of Wales leaving the Forth last July after nine months of repairs. Now its sister ship, the HMS Queen Elizabeth, is homeward bound as she now needs to be fixed. (Image: David Wardle)

A Royal Navy spokesperson said: “A minor, isolated fire on HMS Queen Elizabeth was quickly brought under control and extinguished.”

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “I can confirm we responded to reports of a fire on a vessel at 11:50pm on Friday. Crews then stood down.”

Last month it was reported that the carrier was supposed to lead the largest NATO exercise since the Cold War, involving more than 40 vessels off the coast of Norway.

But instead the destination changed to Rosyth for repairs, with the HMS Prince of Wales taking its place.

This is a role reversal from August 2022 when the HMS Prince of Wales was due to sail to the United States for a diplomatic mission but broke down near the Isle of Wight and had to be towed back to port.

It retreated north to Rosyth after suffering "significant damage" to the starboard propeller shaft - prompting MPs to ask Royal Navy chiefs if it was an "unlucky ship" and why it kept breaking down - and the HMS Queen Elizabeth went to America instead.

There have also been disputes with the Ministry of Defence over who picks up the cost of the repairs.

The two Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers cost more than £6 billion and were assembled at Rosyth.

As well as state-of-the-art weaponry and communications systems, the warships boasts five gyms, a chapel and a medical centre.

The 65,000-tonne ships operate with a crew of approximately 700 each, increasing to the full complement of 1,600 when aircraft are embarked.