Royal Navy: HMS Prince of Wales to make glorious return to Portsmouth after major exercise - when and times

HMS Prince of Wales is due to sail to HMNB Portsmouth tomorrow morning (October 30). According to the King’s Harbour Master shipping movements, the 65,000 tonne warship is due to sail towards the outer spit buoy, from the NAB Tower, at 9.40am.

Being accompanied by a pilot and tug escort, she is scheduled to sail past The Round Tower at 10.30am. Crowds previously gathered along The Hot Walls to wave goodbye to the £3.2bn carrier last month.

Exercise Strike Warrior saw HMS Prince of Wales and other Royal Navy warships prepared for next year’s deployment to Japan and the Indo-Pacific region. This involved completing various warfare and training scenarios, testing the the UK Carrier Strike Group’s ability to work together and respond to any scenario.

Captain John Cromie, Deputy Commander UK Carrier Strike Group, previously said: “Strike Warrior has delivered a short and intense period of training for the UK Carrier Strike Group, testing the group all the way from individual responses to a fire or flood through to complex long-range F-35B missions involving live weapon drops in support of Royal Marines ashore.”

HMS Prince of Wales’ aircraft completed 71 sorties, accounting for 210 hours in the air. Commander Nick Smith, Commanding Officer for 809 Naval Air Squadron - that embarked for the first time - said the exercise and the drills the pilots undertook were “phenomenally successful”, laying “firm foundations” for when his F-35s re-join the task group in 2025 on its first deployment.

He added: “The training teams have surpassed their targets with 19 pilots completing carrier qualifications within the first weeks of the deployment and flight deck teams receiving their authorisations to safely operate on the deck, both day and night. Our integration has also spread beyond the ship, demonstrated by the successful release of live weapons on targets at Cape Wrath; weapons prepared by the ship’s company, loaded and delivered by 809 NAS and 617 Squadron engineers and pilots, controlled by Royal Marine Commandos on the ground.”