HMS Prince of Wales has sailed from Portsmouth to begin preparations for the deployment of the Carrier Strike Group to the High North and North Atlantic later this year, the Royal Navy confirmed, with the carrier set to operate under NATO’s Arctic Sentry mission.
The 65,000-tonne flagship departed Portsmouth Naval Base for the first time since returning from Operation Highmast, the eight-month Indo-Pacific deployment she led as the Royal Navy’s premier deployment of 2025, with her crew of over 900 having spent the intervening period cleaning, servicing, maintaining and upgrading thousands of systems before loading food, spare parts and supporting equipment in recent days ahead of sailing.
Air power for the initial preparation phase will be provided by Merlin helicopters of 820 Naval Air Squadron based at Culdrose, maritime Wildcats of 815 Naval Air Squadron and battlefield Wildcats from 847 Naval Air Squadron, both based at RNAS Yeovilton, alongside Malloy drones, with the carrier set to undergo combined training in home waters before embarking ammunition in Scotland ahead of operations.
Commander David Mason, the flagship’s second-in-command, said “HMS Prince of Wales ship’s company is looking forward to sailing, for the first time since returning from deployment in 2025, with their headquarters and air wing embarked”, while Executive Warrant Officer David Wilson added that “after our time alongside the ship’s company is excited and keen to get back to sea.”
Given the lack of any air threat in the North Atlantic but the large threat represented by submarines, I hope they take this opportunity to minimise the F35 component onboard and maximise the deployment of Merlin Mk2.
Deploying 9 Merlin’s in ASW configuration would give PoW a great value in the high north and it could be reminiscent of the Invincible class role in the late Cold War providing ASW support while the fighters take out long range Russian scouts and bombers.
Combined with the HMS Dragon leading the NATO standing maritime force 1 this would give NATO a major combined fleet operating in the North Atlantic. Leading such a continuous force is probably the best thing the UK can do with its carriers given the current Geo political situation with Washington.
PoW operating 12 F35’s along side 9 Merlin’s and 4 wildcats is a potent air group perfectly tailored for operations in the North Atlantic.
Wonder what the escort group will be? Probably 1 T45 & 1 T23 + a Dutch or Norwegian frigate. Maybe a Tide Class oiler in support. That’s pretty much the entire deployable fleet. It has been said so many times but we really have to get more escorts into the fleet as quickly as possible.
If i can just stir this old pot again. You’d think that especially with less escorts currently available that there would be more emphasis on improving the defensive armaments of these carriers? Less escorts is less protection and less layered protection at that, period. Bit of common and surely is affordable to add the 30mm (even if recycled ycked/upgraded to latest spec) and Ancilia to more thoroughly protect these valuable assets.
And acquisition of some stand-off AShM for the F35bs?
I Wonder if A Trip to THE FALKLANDS would be on the Itinerary…? If you Want to have the Protection of the big boy you don’t kick him in the Nuts….!
It’s on a NATO mission so no, however sailing round the North Atlantic and making port visits to the USA is a very good message to send to Argentina in a way that doesn’t provoke anyone in the Americas.
At least they’re not going in Winter…
Arctic convoys were bad enough with Axis attacks but the conditions they sailed in… God in Heaven.
Good, live practice for the ASW bods, what with lots of live contacts up there at the moment.