Royal Navy's mighty carrier HMS Prince of Wales marks her 1,000th landing as she remains on 'standby' to deal with Russia-Ukraine crisis
BRITAIN’S biggest warship has marked a major development in her history after completing the 1,000th landing of an aircraft on her flight deck.
Aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales completed the millennial milestone last week after welcoming a Chinook helicopter.
The huge chopper, from the RAF’s 27 Squadron, was guided down to the Portsmouth-based warship’s deck by Leading Aircraft Handler Tom Lenszner.
It was part of the first spell of landings to have taken place on Prince of Wales after the ship was named as the flagship of Nato’s maritime high readiness force.
The achievement comes as the 65,000-tonne leviathan was put on stand-by to react to the crisis between Russia and Ukraine.
The vessel and her crew are currently working with Fleet Air Arm and RAF aviators to prepare for operations, which could see her travelling anywhere from the Arctic, Baltic and Mediterranean as part of the Nato fleet.
The 1,000th touchdown of an aircraft on Prince of Wales’s deck comes under two and a half years since the first.
The helicopter was crewed by Flight Lieutenant John Parry, Flight Lieutenant Andrew Broadhead, Sergeant McClymont and Master Aircrew Jones.
‘It’s a massive privilege to share this milestone with the ship,’ said Flt Lt Parry of 27 Squadron ‘As a Welshman, to deploy on to the Prince of Wales, the largest warship the Royal Navy has ever operated has been amazing, and to top it off with the 1,000th deck landing is something I’ll enjoy back in the crew room with my fellow aviators.’
The landing was part of broader training by the helicopter squadron from RAF Odiham in Hampshire.
Three Chinooks are embarked on the carrier as their aircrew earn deck qualifications deeming them safe to operate from the carrier by day and night.
As well as the RAF, the ship has been joined by Wildcats of the Fleet Air Arm’s 825 Naval Air Squadron, also getting their sea legs in home waters.
Prince of Wales is due back in Portsmouth later this month, when she will prepare for her ‘debut in the high north’, the Royal Navy said.
She will embark Rear Admiral Mike Utley, Britain’s most senior seafaring admiral and commander of Britain’s carrier strike force, to take on the Norwegian-led exercise Cold Response.
