Royal Navy flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth to return back to Portsmouth after three weeks at sea

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now

This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.

THE Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth is to return to Portsmouth today after three weeks at sea.

The 65,000-tonne warship set sail from the city at the beginning of the month for her first ‘workout’ of the year.

Venturing to the western coast of Scotland for the first time to pick up supplies before her global deployment in the spring, the £3.2bn behemoth is now on her return journey home.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She is expected to arrive back in Portsmouth at about 5.30pm today.

The arrival coincides with the publication of the government’s defence command paper, which aims to give more detail for the armed forces on the conclusions of the integrated review of the UK's foreign and defence policies, announced last week.

Read More
Police investigating after 'gender reveal' party takes place near Portchester Ca...

First Sea Lord Admiral Tony Radakin, the head of the Senior Service, said the plans unveiled in the integrated review would see a significant investment being made in the navy.

Highlighting plans to increase the navy’s tonnage by 50 per cent from 2015 to 2030, Admiral Radakin said this would allow the Senior Service to increase its presence in the Gulf and Indo-Pacific.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad
HMS Queen Elizabeth sails from Glen Mallen in Scotland. Photo: LPhot Pepe HoganHMS Queen Elizabeth sails from Glen Mallen in Scotland. Photo: LPhot Pepe Hogan
HMS Queen Elizabeth sails from Glen Mallen in Scotland. Photo: LPhot Pepe Hogan

And he hinted a larger role for the navy in the Arctic and north Atlantic, where Russia is seen as a threat.

‘I think with this secretary of state, he's been very clear to all of us as chiefs, that we respond to the threats that are out there,’ Adm Radakin told Forces News.

‘For me, that is Russian activity in the North Atlantic greater than we've seen over the last 30 years and some of that reaches up into the high north.

‘And then we're seeing the world-changing with a northern sea route starting to open up over the next 20 years, which halves the time from Europe to Asia.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad
The Royal Navy’s flagship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, was in Glen Mallan, Scotland, as part of final preparations before her first operational deployment. Photo: POPhot JJ MasseyThe Royal Navy’s flagship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, was in Glen Mallan, Scotland, as part of final preparations before her first operational deployment. Photo: POPhot JJ Massey
The Royal Navy’s flagship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, was in Glen Mallan, Scotland, as part of final preparations before her first operational deployment. Photo: POPhot JJ Massey

‘So for us as a navy, we've got to respond to that and we're doing that with our allies as part of Nato and looking to be able to operate further north and then also to be ready for when that northern sea route starts to open up.’

HMS Queen Elizabeth is expected to leave Portsmouth next month to join an exercise in Scotland before setting sail on her maiden operational mission in May.

Looking for the latest Royal Navy updates from Portsmouth? Join our new Royal Navy news Facebook group to keep up to date.

HMS Queen Elizabeth is due to return to Portsmouth on Monday evening. Photo: CPO Tryon/Royal NavyHMS Queen Elizabeth is due to return to Portsmouth on Monday evening. Photo: CPO Tryon/Royal Navy
HMS Queen Elizabeth is due to return to Portsmouth on Monday evening. Photo: CPO Tryon/Royal Navy

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

The News is more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism.

You can subscribe here for unlimited access to Portsmouth news online - as well as our new Puzzles section.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

News you can trust since 1877
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice