Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth arrives back in Florida

The enormous 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier sailed into Naval Station Mayport on Friday, where she is expected to stay for a week.

The £3.1bn warship is currently conducted her second set of flight trials with the F35B stealth jet off the eastern coast of the US.

Queen Elizabeth’s mission will see her crew pushing both the warship and its cohort of UK-based fighter-jets to the limit in the run-up to her first operational deployment in 2021.

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The tour has already seen the 280m-long warship make her maiden voyage to Canada.

QE is packed with about 700 sailors and a number of additional personnel for the trails.

Her last visit to Florida, in September 2018, was marred by controversy after a small number of drunken sailors were arrested while on shore leave.

HMS Queen Elizabeth has arrived in Florida for the second time. Here she is pictured with HMS Northumberland, HMS Dragon and RFA Tideforce which are part of her carrier strike group. Photo: LPhot Kyle Heller

Some of the crew members began fighting outside local bars and urinating in public, with a six later arrested by police on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly.

Police had to use tasers to subdue two sailors.

Queen Elizabeth’s second visit to the US has seen her accompanied by Portsmouth-based Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon. Also in tow as part of a small British carrier strike force is frigate HMS Northumberland and resupply vessel RFA Tideforce.