A MAJOR milestone in the construction of a new multi-billion pound Navy aircraft carrier has been completed in Hampshire this morning.

Hundreds of skilled Southampton workers have been involved in building the HMS Prince of Wales - one of the biggest construction projects in the country.

This morning, two huge “ring” sections of the ship's hull were gently maneuvered together using six slow-moving trucks with a total of 240 heavy-duty wheels.

Over the next three months, the ring that was moved, weighing 1,300 tonnes, will be welded together with a separate ring, itself weighing in at 2,500 tonnes.

The work is being carried out by BAE Systems staff at the Navy dockyards in Portsmouth.

A workforce of some 800 are helping to create a 79m, 6,000 tonne section of what will be the biggest aircraft carrier the Royal Navy has every possessed.

Hampshire's role in building the 280m long, 65,000 tonne vessel will come to an end in 2016 when the fully welded and painted hull section will be floated on a giant barge to Scotland for further work.

Some 300 peopled from Southampton have been involved in the project, many of whom once worked at the former Vosper Thornycroft site in Woolston.