Royal Navy: HMS Prince of Wales' carrier strike group passing through Red Sea as Pacific deployment nears end
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The Royal Navy flagship is reaching the end of her deployment as her carrier group passes through the Red Sea.
HMS Prince of Wales and the UK Carrier Strike Group (UKCSG) is heading to the Mediterranean by transiting through the Suez Canal. As reported in the Maritime Executive, the £3.2bn aircraft carrier and her escorts were expected to pass through the busy shipping channel on October 29.
Her last major operation was with the Indian Navy and Air Force, with personnel completing a range of military drills and diplomatic visits. In a historic first, HMS Prince of Wales deployed alongside her Indian counterpart INS Vikrant - in charge of her own carrier strike group.
F-35 Lightning stealth fighters jousted in the skies alongside Vikrant’s MiG 29K jets, followed by a flypast and photo exercise. A combined submarine hunt was organised over the four day drills - part of Exercise Konkan - with an Indian Navy boat trying to avoid detection from HMS Richmond, Merlin Mk2 helicopters, and P8 Neptune maritime patrol aircraft.
Aviators conducted further drills later that month, following a high-profile visit from prime minister Sir Keir Starmer to confirm a major defence trade deal. The Maritime Executive reports that following these series of training schemes, they safely passed through the Bab el Mandeb and coastline controlled by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in the south of the Red Sea.
They added that the UKCSG was involved in Exercise Bahr Guardian. No details have been published, they said, but this could have involved workup training ahead of the Red Sea transit. They were seen alongside the port of Duqm on October 21, leaving the following day. The transit is considered one of the more hazardous parts of the deployment, with HMS Prince of Wales conducting the same passage in the opposite direction in June.
Operation Highmast, the eight-month Indo Pacific deployment, started when HMS Prince of Wales left Portsmouth on April 22. Huge crowds of people watched her depart. She is expected to return in time for Christmas. The next stage of her deployment is Exercise Falcon Strike 25, which involves air strike drills with the Italian Navy.