A huge aircraft carrier was spotted in the waters near Edinburgh leaving locals awestruck.

The HMS Queen Elizabeth was seen sailing near the Forth Bridges on Thursday evening, July 24.

Many were able to spot the massive vessel as it made its way to Rosyth. Traffic Scotland shared images of the ship as it sailed through the water.

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They wrote: “HMS Queen Elizabeth passed by the Forth Bridges this evening on it’s way to Rosyth.”

In 2024, we reported the flagship carrier left Rosyth after months of repairs.

The vessel underwent critical repairs to her starboard propeller shaft coupling. It is “one of the most powerful surface warships ever constructed in the UK” and forms part of the Royal Navy‘s “two-strong fleet of Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers.”

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In 2014, Queen Elizabeth II launched the ship in Rosyth, ushering in a new era for the Royal Navy.

Over the years there have been a number of Queen Elizabeth ships commissioned with the first honouring Queen Elizabeth I and entering into service during the First World War in 1915.

That ship assisted in the Gallipoli Campaign and fought in the Dardanelles before Germany signalled their surrender onboard in 1918. In 1948, the original was decommissioned after serving throughout the Second World War.

In 2007, and almost a century after the construction of the original HMS Queen Elizabeth, a new generation of ship was commissioned by Defence Secretary Des Browne. The two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers were tipped to be the largest and most powerful ever built for the Royal Navy.