HMS Queen Elizabeth UK heads on deployment after royal visit

HMS Queen Elizabeth has sailed from Portsmouth for her maiden operational deployment at the heart of the UK’s Carrier Strike Group. This came after a farewell visit from Her Majesty The Queen. Late last week media reported the 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier was unexpectedly returning to Portsmouth because of the bad weather and needing to re-supply.

She returned after sailing with sister ship HMS Prince of Wales off the UK coastline, but left late on Saturday for her mission after a royal visit.

The Carrier Strike Group is sailing for its deployment which will take it to Japan, and back, over the next seven-and-a-half-months.

“HMS Queen Elizabeth, her escorts and her aircraft, will now begin the most important peacetime deployment in a generation,” says Cdre Steve Moorhouse, commander of the UK Carrier Strike Group.

“It is the privilege of my career to lead 3,700 sailors, aviators and marines from the United Kingdom, United States and the Netherlands for the next seven-and-a-half-months.”

The UK’s Carrier Strike Group will visit more than one fifth of the world’s nations.

Led by HMS Queen Elizabeth, the task group will visit 40 nations including India, Japan, Republic of Korea and Singapore in a deployment covering 26,000 nautical miles.

The group will also join up and take part in exercises with French carrier FS Charles De Gaulle in the Mediterranean as well as navies and aircraft from allies such as the US, Canada, Denmark, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan and the UAE.

While in the Pacific, ships from the Carrier Strike Group will mark the 50th anniversary of the Five Powers Defence Arrangements between Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and the UK by taking part in Exercise Bersama Lima.

Joining HMS Queen Elizabeth on her maiden deployment are destroyers HMS Diamond and Defender; frigates HMS Richmond and Kent; an Astute-class submarine in support below the waves; and Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ships RFA Fort Victoria and RFA Tidespring.

More than 30 aircraft will also embark across the task group including F-35 jets from 617 Squadron, the Dambusters, and the US Marine Corps’ VMFA-211; Wildcat helicopters from 815 Naval Air Squadron and Merlin helicopters from 820 and 845 Naval Air Squadrons.

Royal Marines from 42 Commando will also deploy with the carrier.

Dutch frigate HNLMS Evertsen and American Arleigh Burke destroyer USS The Sullivans are also part of the strike group.