Royal Navy: Imperious HMS Prince of Wales to go on largest deployment in years - where and what is she doing?

HMS Prince of Wales, the force’s flagship which is based in Portsmouth, will soon be leading the UK Carrier Strike Group (UKCSG) once. The unit, which usually comprises of one or more carriers and their aircraft, surface ships and submarines, will be sailing alongside British allies.

Carrier strike groups provide military air, surface and undersea threats. This upcoming deployment is the first in many years for one of the Royal Navy’s 65,000 tonne carriers. Here’s all you need to know.

Where will HMS Prince of Wales be going?

The carrier will leave Portsmouth this Spring and travel to the Indo-Pacific region in the far east of the globe. Traversing the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal to get there, Royal Navy sailors will be joined by RAF pilots in charge of F-35 fighter jets, as well as Royal Marines personnel.

Hundreds of armed forces personnel will be involved in the operation. The Royal Navy currently maintains a presence in the region with two of its River-class offshore patrol vessels, HMS Spey and HMS Tamar.

The flagship’s sister vessel, HMS Queen Elizabeth, previously led the UKCSG to the Indo-Pacific in 2021 on a journey covering 55,000 nautical miles in an operation involving over 40 nations.

What countries will HMS Prince of Wales visit?

The carrier will sail alongside Japan, Australia, India and other nations while on the deployment. Britain's relationship with Canberra is solidified through the AUKUS military partnership between the two nations and the United States.

Several international partners such as Norway will also be joining British sailors on the deployment. The announcement of the flagship sailing to Japan was made in April 2024. Current defence secretary John Healey announced a visit to Australia was part of the agenda in December last year.

What will HMS Prince of Wales and the UKCSG be doing?

Armed forces personnel will be carrying out several diplomatic visits in order to bolster relationships and discuss security concerns in the region. Military drills will also be completed to give Royal Navy sailors chance to work alongside other navies and as part of a large formation.

This includes Exercise Talisman Sabre, training regimes involving 19 nations and will see naval manoeuvres such as sorties being completed. A sortie is an attack made by troops from a defensive formation. It takes place every two years and its purpose it to test joint capabilities across several domains and strengthen partnerships and interoperability between countries.

Why is the Royal Navy flagship being deployed?

Speaking about the deployment, Mr Healey said the UK is determined to build on its commitments to the Indo-Pacific region, and strengthen relationships with other nations. The area faces security threats in different ways - from drug smugglers, illegal fishing poachers and actions from nations to increase their sphere of influence.

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer previously called for more Royal Navy patrols in a bid to combat China as it invests heavily in its navy. He added the UK plays a vital role in supporting the region and could not turn a blind eye to problems faced by British allies.

Lord Vernon Coaker expanded on this in the House of Lords and said the flagship’s deployment will “assert a rule of law” over Beijing and the bad actors in the region. He added: “You go anywhere in the world, those who stand with us in the defence of freedom understand there is an indivisibility of that conflict. That’s what we need to stand for, and it’s really important as a country that we be one of the leaders of that.”