Emotional moment HMS Prince of Wales returns to Portsmouth after eight-month deployment as loved ones watch on
A video shows the HMS Prince of Wales arriving back in Portsmouth today following her eight-month deployment.
Footage shows the emotional moment HMS Prince of Wales returned home to Portsmouth today (Sunday November 30).
The £3.2bn aircraft carrier was welcomed back at around 1pm by crowds of loved ones waving flags and holding banners.
The warship is accompanied by two of her UK Carrier Strike Group (UKCSG) escorts, HMS Dauntless and the Norwegian frigate HNoMS Roald Amundsen.
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It was an early arrival for Dauntless which arrived at the Outer Spit Buoy at 8am and went past the Round Tower just before 8.45am this morning. HNoMS Amundsen is due to arrive at OSB at 3pm, completing the trio of ships returning to Portsmouth today.
All have been on an Indo-Pacific deployment named Operation Highmast. The eight-month operation covered 26,000 nautical miles, and saw sailors complete drills in Australia, Japan, India, South Korea and elsewhere. A number of diplomatic visits were carried out with major defence agreements signed in some cases.
Over the course of the operation, upwards of 4,500 British military personnel have been involved, including nearly 600 RAF personnel and 900 soldiers accompanying 2,500 Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines.