Royal Navy: Why aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi, USS Gunston Hall and other ships are in Portsmouth

Italian aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi was welcomed into the city on Wednesday (February 14). She was following by another Italian ship yesterday, the IS San Giorgio. Both vessels have joined the American Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship, the USS Gunston Hall. She arrived into the naval base on February 10.

The Royal Navy have confirmed that all these ships have sailed into the Solent as they are travelling to be part of 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 in the North Sea and the far north 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. She left Portsmouth on Monday, taking the place of her sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth after a mechanical fault stopped her from sailing. It is planned that she will head to Rosyth, Fife, Scotland, for repairs. The international ships will follow and join her on the exercise, featuring 90,000 troops from all 31 Nato 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. USS Gunston Hall, commissioned in 1989 and refitted in 2009, is among a contingent of more than 100 U.S. 2nd Fleet and Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 2 personnel being forward deployed to Norway.

SEE ALSO: HMS Queen Elizabeth to head for Rosyth for repairs

Rear Admiral David Patchell, vice commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet, and Commander CTF North, said: “Steadfast Defender is a chance to practice, to exercise, to come together, build relationships, and strengthen the readiness and unity that already exists.” USS Gunston Hall left Norfolk, Virginia, on January 24 to head to Portsmouth.

Rear Admiral Benjamin Nicholson, commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 2 and deputy commander CTF-N, said: “The ships’ crew has already completed multiple training events and represented the United States as ambassadors during a port visit to Portsmouth, England. This exercise is about learning and teamwork. We will learn the tools and techniques to conduct future maritime operations and further develop our tactics and training as a team with our Allies and partners.”

The Royal Navy were approached for further details about the visit of the international ships.

Pictures by Ian Grainger, Alex Shute and Jake Corben.