Royal Navy: “Phenomenal" HMS Prince of Wales to leave Portsmouth and lead "biggest deployment this century"

HMS Prince of Wales will be departing from HMNB Portsmouth as she’s set to take charge of the UK Carrier Strike Group (UKCSG). Huge crowds are expected to line The Hot Walls and viewing spots across the city watch the 65,000 tonne carrier depart - an emotional moment for families and loved ones.

Commodore James Blackmore, Commander of the Carrier Strike Group, will be at the helm of Operation Highmast. Speaking to the media on the carrier’s flight deck, he said in terms of capability, its the “biggest deployment this century”.

“It’s a huge privilege to take the carrier strike group to the Indo-Pacific”, he added. “It’s a global deployment which is international by design and encompasses 13 different nations in the strike group.

He added: “It’s about demonstrating globally our support for international order. The UK Carrier Strike Group capability is the cornerstone of the UK’s conventional deterrence. This deployment will contribute to that throughout, and plays to that secure at home and strong abroad agenda.

“The F-35s are utterly phenomenal, and it’s a force multiplier compared to previous generations of aircraft. Numbers will never be as large as those Second World War carrier decks we all recall, but in terms of capability, it is the largest amount of sovereign airpower we’ve deployed. It’ll be a potent deployed combat power.”

Operation Highmast will consist of a series of exercises and operations with air, sea and land across the Mediterranean, Middle East, South-east Asia, Japan and Australia. Royal Navy and RAF personnel will be joined by a dozen allies, and are expected to be deployed for more than 220 days. Roughly 2,500 people being assigned to the operation. British personnel are scheduled to return home in December.

The UKCSG, which was last led by the former Royal Navy flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth in 2021, will consist of 2,100 Britons, 200 Norwegians, and a similar number of Spaniards and Canadians. Those numbers will swell to over 4,500 during key missions, such as Exercise Talisman Sabre in Australia - which will see 19 nations combine forces for various manoeuvres.

Cdre Blackmore said influences in the Pacific - whether it’s trade or diplomatic relationships - impact Europe heavily. “This deployment gives our partners and allies that reassurance, and that’s what we will demonstrate,” he added. “With a capability like this, you’ve got to have it at sea.

“After exercising with partners and allies, you know that in a time of crisis, you can come together and fight together. it demonstrates the capability to our adversaries and showcases that we mean business and is available to use as and when a government wishes to task it. The ability to convene an international strike group with 13 nations sends a very powerful message.”

Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless, Type 23 submarine-hunting frigate HMS Richmond, Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ship RFA Tidespring and an Astute-class submarine, will make up the UKCSG alongside the Canadian frigate HMCS Ville de Québec, Norwegian vessels HNoMS Roald Amundsen and HNoMS Maud, and Spanish frigate ESPS Mendez Nunez, will all be part of the operation. RFA Argus is also expected to join the operation at a later date. HMS Prince of Wales will be the centre-piece.

Commanding Officer and Portsmouth native, Captain Will Blackett, said: “She’s ready to go. My job is to be ready for anything. It has been a long journey to get here. I’ve been in command for 16 months, and this operation has been the focus ever since I arrived.

“That process has been taking the high readiness duties from our sister ship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, and taking it here. This means upgrading the capabilities on board and training. We’ve been training very hard for over a year now and we’re good to go. HMS Prince of Wales is fantastic and she’s got state-of-the-art equipment.

“We’re very proud to take her around the world. It only works because of the magic that is brought to it by the people on board. Once we deploy, they will not be home until Christmas. That’s my focus. We will bring everyone home at Christmas after they’ve had a fantastic deployment.”

The UKCSG is equipped with a potent and deadly aerial fighting force. F-35B Lightning strike fighter jets will be housed aboard the Royal Navy carrier, where they will be pushed to their full operational capability and operated by RAF 617 Squadron and 809 Naval Air Squadron (NAS).

Merlin Mk2 anti-submarine helicopters from 814 and 829 NAS - as well as Mk4 commando variants assigned to 845 NAS - will be joined by Wildcat HMA with 815 Naval Air Squadron. For the first time, T-150 Malloy and Puma drones will be used to ferry supplies between the warships, freeing up the aircraft for other tasking.

Captain Colin McGannity, Commander Air Group, praised the capabilities and the 750 personnel he has at his disposal. “It’s a huge privilege of mine to lead this team,” he added. “It’s the pinnacle of my career.

“The aircraft in the 27 years I’ve been doing this are much improved. The Merlin Mk2 is light years ahead of the Seaking it replaced. We’ve got Wildcat that have added missiles to its inventory to protect the strike group from surface vessels and air threats. The jets are absolutely incredible, with eye-watering amounts of power.”

The Carrier Strike Group will immediately work for NATO, with its first workout being an exercise near France to test its aerial defences. They will then proceed into the Mediterranean to work with an Italian-led carrier force, then head east of Suez via the Red Sea.

Canadian forces have been training for more than a year for their part in the deployment. HMCS Ville de Québec’s Commanding Officer, Commander Peter MacNeil, said: “The crew has worked incredibly hard to get the ship ready and to represent Canada and the Royal Canadian Navy globally – with some of the absolute finest people Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces has to offer.”