Flagship leads Carrier Strike Group 25 on crucial deployment after years of planning
HMS Prince of Wales has left Portsmouth as she embarks on a seven-and-a-half-month global deployment.
As part of Operation Highmast, the aircraft carrier and her multinational strike group will travel more than 30,000 miles as she visits the Middle East, the Indo-Pacific and Australia.
BFBS Forces News was given access to the Royal Navy's largest warship as she readied to depart.
Excitement ahead of Op Highmast
Her vast flight deck – for now – is empty, but soon, it will be home to 24 F-35 Lightning jets, the largest deployment of British maritime air power this century.
"There's always that feeling of excitement," said Commodore James Blackmore, Commanding Officer, UK Carrier Strike Group.
Cdre Blackmore told BFBS Forces News that this deployment is a "hugely exciting prospect".
At its height, Op Highmast will involve 4,000 UK personnel with HMS Prince of Wales, the flagship of a 13-nation carrier strike group.
HMS Dauntless, HMS Richmond and an Astute-class attack submarine will protect the aircraft carrier.
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Tidespring is also keeping the ship fuelled and watered.
After eight years of work, this is the final hurdle as the CSG comes to full operational capability (FOC).
Projecting power and the threat of China
This deployment is a political and strategic statement – a big piece of UK real estate sailing around the world projecting power, the Government said.
But it is also going to take this CSG to some of the world's most dangerous areas: the Red Sea, where the Houthis are attacking commercial shipping, and the Indo-Pacific, where China is flexing its maritime muscles and vastly expanding its naval power.
Captain Will Blackett, Commanding Officer, HMS Prince of Wales, said personnel had gone through a lot of work to prepare to sail.
"The whole of the last year has been about training, about material preparations, about upgrading equipment, keeping pace with our potential competitors and making sure we know how to use our kits," he said.
Capt Blackett said the CSG would be more than happy to work alongside the USS Harry S Truman, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, in the Red Sea if she were called upon by the UK and the United States.
On the question of China coming to look at the fleet, Cdre Blackmore revealed that he would be proud if the Chinese military watched over the vessels in international waters.
"I'm very proud to demonstrate the capability that the Carrier Strike Group has," he said.
Life away on deployment
For the sailors, this is what Royal Navy life is all about.
AB Molly Plant, Administrator (writer branch), commented that this deployment is twice as long as her previous deployment.
She said it would "fly by" because the personnel will be kept working, and there are several ports to enjoy along the way.
The aircraft carrier will carry 1,600 sailors and hundreds of personnel from the strike group's Air Wing.
The UK's air power on show
The F-35Bs that operate from HMS Prince of Wales are a mix of Royal Navy and RAF units.
809 Naval Air Squadron – known as The Immortals – will be joined by aircraft from 617 Squadron, the iconic Dambusters.
Sixteen Merlin and Wildcat helicopters will be operating from the carrier and, for the first time, there will be three flights of Malloy and Puma drones.
These drones are expected to be used for ship-to-ship resupply.
This is a hugely important deployment for the UK's Lightning Force as it too reaches FOC.
"The really important thing for me is that they're ready to operate in a warfighting role at scale," said Captain Colin McGannity, Commanding Officer, Carrier Air Group.
"We've got a number of exercises where we're planning to do that.
"A really key one is Exercise Talisman Sabre, [which] we're going to be doing down off Australia with a huge amount of allies and partners down there."
It is the first carrier-led global deployment for the Royal Navy since 2021.
In addition to projecting military power, HMS Prince of Wales will also promote "UK Plc" during her visits to India, Singapore and Japan, Britain's biggest trading partners in the Indo-Pacific.
The CSG setting sail demonstrates the pinnacle of years of hard work for the CSG and the F-35s that will call her home.
It's a coming of age – and proof that they are combat-ready.
For more reports about Carrier Strike Group 25 click here.
Related topics
Join Our Newsletter
