Royal Navy sailors from HMS Prince of Wales drafted in to run Hampshire's Covid-19 testing centres

Men and women from Portsmouth-based aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales have been mobilised to run seven sites across the county.

It’s part of the military’s huge response to the coronavirus crisis, which has seen almost 3,000 personnel running facilities nationwide.

The team from Prince of Wales, which is alongside in Portsmouth undergoing maintenance, have been working at sites in Eastleigh, Fawley and Brockenhurst – with more planned in the coming days elsewhere in Hampshire.

All have been trained by the army on how to perform the tests in a safe manner ensuring they are not at risk from the virus.

Sub Lieutenant Joshua Price, who joined HMS Prince of Wales to gain experience of life in a warship as part of his officer training, took charge of one of the test centres.

‘It is a real privilege and an honour to be part of something that serves to help the country,’ he said. ‘We are being trained by and working alongside the Irish Guards who are a professional regiment.

‘They passed on their knowledge so we can follow on in their footsteps and do something good in these troubling times.’

City sailors are expected to run sites in Farnborough and Alton in the coming few days, the navy announced.

Engineering Technician Steve James, who is normally responsible for HMS Prince of Wales’s communications and IT systems, said being part of the testing team had been an eye-opening experience.

He added: ‘While learning about the process and procedure, I have an understanding of the virus and how to protect myself and others from it.

‘This has been a learning curve for all of the public and ourselves and together we can put an end to the virus.’

Naval Airman Michael Paul, who is more used to guiding Merlin helicopters safely around the carrier’s four-acre flight deck, was put in charge of a ‘leave station’ where people deposit their completed tests.

‘We made sure that people had correctly bagged their tests. After doing that we scanned their codes to make sure their details were linked,’ he said.

‘I’ve enjoyed working at these test sites as it’s something different from my normal line of work and it’s a good feeling helping out during these uncertain times.’

HMS Prince of Wales one of two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers based in Portsmouth.

She is the largest of the two vessels, being fractionally longer than her older sister, HMS Queen Elizabeth.

Both ships have a 50-year lifespan and are crewed by about 800 sailors.

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