Royal Navy: Italian aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi and IS San Giorgio leave Portsmouth for Nato mission

Italian aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi and the Italian Cruise San Giorgio left HMNB Portsmouth this afternoon (February 17). They were both joined by the American Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship, the USS Gunston Hall, earlier this week after she arrived on February 10.

The Royal Navy confirmed that all these ships have sailed into the Solent as part of their journey to the North Sea and the Arctic Circle. They are all set to join Exercise Steadfast Defender – Nato’s largest mission since The Cold War. More than 40 vessels are involved in the operation and are drawn from two dozen nations. It will take place off the coast of Norway’s Arctic Coast. More than 20,000 UK personnel will be deployed across Scandenavia and northern Europe.

NOW READ: Italian aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi enters Portsmouth Naval Base

Portsmouth’s own HMS Prince of Wales is leading the UK Carrier Strike Group, with frigate HMS Somerset and two Tide-class tankers from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary alongside her. The aircraft carrier left Portsmouth last Monday. She has taken the place of HMS Queen Elizabeth after a mechanical fault stopped her from sailing earlier this month.

It is planned that she will head to Rosyth, Fife, Scotland, for repairs. In total, the Nato operation will feature 90,000 troops from all 31 Allied nations. The Giuseppe Garibaldi is first through-deck aviation ship ever built for the Italian Navy and the first Italian ship built to operate fixed-wing aircraft, but is much smaller than the Royal Navy's two carriers – with the Giuseppe looking a lot smaller than HMS Queen Elizabeth which is still in the city. IS San Giorgio is an amphibious transport dock designed to carry a battalion of troops and up to 36 armoured vehicles.

The Royal Navy were approached for further details about the visit of the international ships. Pictures by Ian Grainger, Alex Shute, Jake Corben and Joan West