Royal Navy: Britain's biggest warship HMS Prince of Wales lets rip with her machine guns during Arctic drills

SPECIALIST gunners on board Britain’s biggest warship have been sharpening their lethal marksmanship skills during some adrenaline-fuelled Arctic drills.
By Tom Cotterill
Published 19th Apr 2022, 14:58 BST
Sailors on HMS Prince of Wales have been honing their marksmanship during drills in the ArcticSailors on HMS Prince of Wales have been honing their marksmanship during drills in the Arctic
Sailors on HMS Prince of Wales have been honing their marksmanship during drills in the Arctic

Sailors from HMS Prince of Wales have been braving the freezing temperatures to test out their warfighting skills using the aircraft carrier’s array of machine guns.

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The 65,000-tonne leviathan is continuing her venture in the Arctic Circle, having completed a major two-week Nato war game near Norway, earlier this month.

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The £3.2bn warship has a range of defence systems, including its Phalanx close-in weapons system, which can spew 75 rounds a second – tearing apart everything from enemy aircraft to missiles.

The latest series of defence kit tests using the ship’s machine guns took place over the Easter break, with photos shared on HMS Prince of Wales’s official Twitter account last night.

It comes as Prince of Wales split up with frigate HMS Richmond, which had been part of her escort.

The Plymouth-based Type 23 is now expected to return back to HMNB Devonport.

Sailors on HMS Prince of Wales have been honing their marksmanship during drills in the ArcticSailors on HMS Prince of Wales have been honing their marksmanship during drills in the Arctic
Sailors on HMS Prince of Wales have been honing their marksmanship during drills in the Arctic

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Meanwhile, Prince of Wales’s return to Portsmouth is expected in the next few weeks.

The ship is the second of two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.

Related topics:HMS Prince of WalesBritainRoyal NavySailorsNorway

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