Royal Navy's biggest warship HMS Prince of Wales is dwarfed by huge Norwegian volcano in the Arctic

Aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales made a rare visit to the Norwegian island of Jan Mayen yesterday, as the mighty warship marked her furthest venture to the ‘high north’.

Sailing with escort frigate HMS Richmond, the £3.2bn leviathan visited the frozen unpopulated outcrop – about 340 miles north of Iceland and roughly 280 miles east of Greenland – as part of her latest tests in the icy Arctic conditions.

The huge Beerenberg volcano on the island towers 7,208ft into the air, just shy of twice the height of Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis, in Scotland – and vastly larger the 920ft aircraft carrier. Seven sailors landed on Jan Mayen to meet the Norwegian personnel stationed there, in the shadow of the glacier-covered volcano and surrounded by dramatic views.

SEE ALSO: Predator is found guilty of raping a woman in Gosport

HMS Richmond’s captain, Commander Chris L’Amie, said: ‘Having long studied and always been fascinated by the Arctic, it is a real privilege to step ashore in Jan Mayen, strengthening the ties between the UK and Norway, our Nato and joint expeditionary force partner.’

The aircraft carrier arrived at Jan Mayen – named after Dutch seafarer and explorer Jan Jacobszoon May van Schellinkhout – in the Arctic Ocean soon after a visit to Iceland and the largest military exercises in the Arctic since the Cold War alongside Nato allies and partners.

During the exercises in Norway, defence secretary Ben Wallace, visited HMS Prince of Wales to announce regular Royal Navy and Royal Marines deployments to the high north, in a bid to bolster Britain’s presence in the region.

Norwegian Navy Commander Thor Straten has been on board Prince of Wales to work with the ship and share his extensive knowledge of the icy region – and the effect the cold can have on ships.

He travelled to Jan Mayen with Prince of Wales’s commanding officer, Captain Steve Higham, and Cdr L’Amie from Richmond, alongside four other sailors.

Petty Officer Luke Witts, part of the crew on Prince of Wales, was one of those selected to go ashore and spent his 33rd birthday on the island.

‘It was probably the best birthday I’ve ever had, the whole experience flying from the ship and seeing the island was amazing,’ he said. ‘The food from the chefs was phenomenal and it was great to meet the people there.’

HMS Prince of Wales has just completed a four-day visit to Reykjavik to show off the UK’s largest and most advanced warship to Iceland, a Nato ally and the newest member of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force.

‘Being the first fifth generation aircraft carrier to visit Iceland has been a proud moment for our ship’s company as we continue our operations, alongside Nato allies and joint expeditionary force partners in the Arctic,’ said Capt Higham.

The Joint Expeditionary Force is a UK-led security coalition, which includes the UK, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway.

Prince of Wales is due back to Portsmouth soon.