'Poised for action': HMS Prince of Wales maintenance 'coming to an end' as she gears up for Nato deployment

A Royal Navy aircraft carrier will be starting the second phase of a major deployment soon.

HMS Prince of Wales will once again be taking charge of the UK Carrier Strike Group on Operation Firecrest. The mission involves training with Nato allies in the North Atlantic and High North, areas which have seen increased illicit activity from Russia.

A social media statement confirmed that work on the 65,000 warship is nearing an end, with the flight deck getting a fresh coat of paint. It added: “HMS Prince of Wales’s maintenance period is coming to an end ahead of Firecrest 2. Poised for action and the next stage of operations.”

HMS Prince of Wales returned to Portsmouth following the first phase of Operation Firecrest on July 24. Large crowds packed The Round Tower and lined the Hot Walls to see their relatives and loved ones return home.

She previously left HMNB Portsmouth on April 24 for the deployment, where she joined Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan, naval support ship RFA Tidespring, F-35B fighter jets, and other aircraft.

The first half of the mission concluded with Exercise Neptune Strike, which saw ten NATO allies operate across air, sea and land in the Atlantic. Its aim was to reinforce Nato’s 360-degree protection of Allied territory demonstrating the ability of its personnel and equipment to work together as a potent, unified deterrent.

Long range air strikes were practiced with F-35B Lightning jets of 809 Naval Air Squadron, which made use of an RAF Voyager and an Italian 767 tanker to extend their range to conduct sorties not just over the North Atlantic, but as far as Poland.

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The strike group has worked with 19 allies from Nato and the Joint Expeditionary Force since sailing in April, bolstering regional partnerships and strengthening the defence of the Euro-Atlantic.

During the four-month period between April 24 and July 24, HMS Prince of Wales’ warfare department navigated the £3.2bn warship across 15,684 nautical miles. Sailors on the bridge kept watch across 7,890 hours.

Aviators operating F-35B fighter jets and helicopters conducted more than 750 deck landings. This included the 9,000th since entering service, with several of the aircraft conducting sorties thousands of miles from the ship.

It’s expected that the second phase of the deployment will take place later this year.