HMS Queen Elizabeth: Here's how US media reacted to the Royal Navy carrier arriving in Florida

Britain's biggest ever warship arrived in Mayport, Florida, on Wednesday (September 5), more than two weeks after leaving Portsmouth. 

And the aircraft carrier drew a crowd as she sailed into the American Naval Station. 

HMS Queen Elizabeth seems to have impressed the local press in Flordia, with reports noting how it dwarfed the USS Iwo Jima in Mayport. 

Here is how the American media reacted to HMS Queen Elizabeth: 

The Florida Times-Union

The major daily newspaper in the city of Jacksonville '“ so a bit like The News '“ reported on the aircraft carrier's arrival in Mayport. 

Joe Daraskevich, the paper's military reporter, reported that the British sailors would be hitting the beach after arriving in Florida. 

He wrote: '˜The massive ship on the horizon got bigger and bigger as it approached the mouth of the St. Johns River, and U.S. Navy personnel rushed to receive the special vessel holding hundreds of sailors from across the pond.

'˜As the Queen Elizabeth eased into the basin with the help of four attending tugboats, it was clearly the largest ship in sight.

'˜The USS Iwo Jima '” a big-deck amphibious assault ship that's normally the biggest Navy ship by far at Mayport '” looked much smaller tied up on a separate pier.' 

US Navy officers were also reported to have boarded the HMS Queen Elizabeth for a tour. 

News4Jax

The local news channel for Jacksonville '“ think BBC Solent but warmer weather '“ also reported on the HMS Queen Elizabeth's arrival in Mayport. 

Multi-media reporter Destiny McKeiver covered the event for News4Jax and reported that one of the godparents of a sailor on the aircraft carrier was overjoyed at the arrival. 

She wrote: '˜Donna Lee saw her goddaughter for the first time in over a decade.

'˜"She's one of the first crew members on here, and I haven't seen her since 2007, Lee said. "It's definitely challenging when your loved ones are overseas and away from home but we have such a strong community that the support is amazing."

'˜Lee said the family rented a beach house to celebrate her goddaughter's return.'