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Royal Navy aircraft carrier leaves Portsmouth for training mission
BBC • • world
Key Points:
- HMS Queen Elizabeth, a 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier commissioned in 2017, has departed Portsmouth Naval Base for a three-month deployment around the UK and northern Europe involving over 800 sailors.
- The deployment is the carrier's first official mission as NATO's command ship for the Allied Response Force, a role designated in July 2023, focusing on rehearsing coordinated naval operations in crisis scenarios.
- The Royal Navy aims to enhance collective security, deterrence, and readiness among the UK and its allies through intensive training and integration exercises during this deployment.
- Capt Claire Thompson, the ship's commanding officer, emphasized the importance of this phase for regaining high readiness and effective aviation capabilities as the carrier prepares to take on a central NATO operational role.
- Family members, including Annie Hoare whose son serves on board, expressed pride and acknowledged the challenges of deployment-related communication restrictions, praising the Navy's support for families.
