Following her historic visit to Belfast – the first time a Royal Navy aircraft carrier has visited the Northern Irish capital in more than 60 years – it was time for HMS Queen Elizabeth to journey onwards.
Her brief port call comes amid a three-month deployment during which she and her crew of more than 800 sailors will embark on training operations around the UK and northern Europe.
The 65,000-tonne warship is currently on standby to serve as Nato's command ship for the Allied Reaction Force, having assumed the role earlier this year.
Highlighting a strong maritime heritage
During her visit to Belfast, the Portsmouth-based warship hosted numerous high-profile engagement visits, including welcoming aboard cadets, members of the Royal Navy Association and families of the Army's Northern Ireland-based 38th Brigade.
HMS Queen Elizabeth's Commanding Officer, Captain Claire Thompson, said: "It has been a huge honour for us to be the first Queen Elizabeth-class carrier to visit Belfast and is real proof of concept for future visits.
"We will definitely strive to get back within a shorter timeframe than the previous 61-year gap between aircraft carriers.
"Our visit has highlighted the strong maritime heritage the Royal Navy shares with the community and with industry in the city and has provided an opportunity for a significant number of my sailors to have their first port visit since joining the ship."
"The city's reaction to having us here has been outstanding; warm and very welcoming, for which we are very grateful," Capt Thompson added.
HMS Queen Elizabeth will now journey back to the frontline following her first re-certification in Rosyth.
She is due to take over the role of fleet flagship from her sister ship, HMS Prince of Wales.
The training in Autumn – split between UK waters and the eastern Atlantic – will lay the foundations for more complex exercises coming next year, including Nato's Steadfast Defender.
While the details and dates for the exercise are yet to be announced, it is projected to be even larger in scale than previous iterations.
Related topics
Join Our Newsletter
