Royal Navy Carrier Departs on Eight-Month Deployment

HMS Prince of Wales departs Portsmouth (Royal Navy)

On Tuesday, the Royal Navy carrier HMS Prince of Wales got under way from Portsmouth for an eight-month deployment that will take her - and her airwing of F-35B fighters - all the way to the Pacific. The Royal Navy has named the mission "Operation Highmast."

"Working closely with partners from across the globe, Operation Highmast will demonstrate credible deterrence and our support to NATO and the rules-based international order," said Commodore James Blackmore, the strike group's commander. "This will reaffirm that the UK is secure at home and strong abroad and reinforce the UK’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific."

HMS Prince of Wales will be escorted by destroyer HMS Dauntless, frigate HMS Richmond, oiler RFA Tidespring and an unnamed Astute-class attack submarine. The Royal Canadian Navy and the Spanish Navy are each contributing a frigate, and the Norwegian Navy is sending two frigates for the full voyage, according to Navy Lookout. U.S. Navy vessels often join British deployments but are not on the current public roster.

Courtesy Royal Navy

HMS Prince of Wales will conduct joint exercises off France, then transit into the Mediterranean for more drills with the Italian Navy. After this workup, she will transit the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, bound for points east. It is as-yet unknown whether or how much she will be involved in the U.S. bombing campaign over Yemen during the transit; British forces have participated in the effort before, but the operation has intensified and its scope has broadened under the current U.S. administration.

It is the second time that the Royal Navy has deployed a carrier strike group on a long-distance mission in recent years. The last was in 2021, when HMS Queen Elizabeth departed Portsmouth for a seven-month voyage at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Propulsion system issues affected HMS Prince of Wales in August 2022, taking the carrier out of service for a year. HMS Queen Elizabeth went into drydock for similar repairs for an extended period in 2024.