Map Tracks UK Aircraft Carrier's Voyage From Europe and Asia
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales—the flagship of the United Kingdom—arrived in Australia on Wednesday as part of its deployment across Europe and the Indo-Pacific.
A Newsweek map tracks the British aircraft carrier's voyage—which began in April from England—toward the South Pacific. The warship is scheduled to visit Japan next, between August and September, Japan's Defense Ministry previously confirmed to Newsweek.
Why It Matters
The Prince of Wales was deployed on an eight-month mission—Operation Highmast—leading a fleet of warships and carrying up to two dozen F-35B stealth fighter jets for drills and operations across the Mediterranean, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Japan and Australia.
The Royal Navy warship became the fourth European aircraft carrier to deploy to the Indo-Pacific since 2021, under the European Carrier Group Interoperability Initiative, which seeks to maintain a continuous naval presence in the region through sequential deployments.
The deployment of the Prince of Wales comes amid an intensifying naval rivalry between the United States—which operates the world's largest fleet of aircraft carriers—and China—which possesses the world's largest naval force by hull count—in the Pacific.
What To Know
Following a three-month voyage that began on April 22 from its home port at Portsmouth Naval Base in England, the Prince of Wales—which took part in Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, hosted by Australia—sailed into Darwin, located in the country's Northern Territory.
The Prince of Wales is the first British aircraft carrier to visit Australia since 1997, when the now-decommissioned HMS Illustrious arrived in Fremantle, Western Australia, as part of a deployment known as Ocean Wave, the Royal Navy said in a news release on Wednesday.
After departing the U.K., the Prince of Wales and its naval strike group transited the Strait of Gibraltar on April 29, entering the Mediterranean from the Atlantic. Their first stop of the deployment was the Greek island of Crete on May 13, before departing European waters.
The U.K. Carrier Strike Group passed through the Suez Canal—a strategic waterway in Egypt that connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea—on May 24. The group conducted operations in the Red Sea for several days, according to the specialist outlet Navy Lookout.
While underway in the Red Sea, the Prince of Wales launched F-35B stealth fighter jets, according to photos released by the Royal Navy. The U.S. military and the Iran-backed Houthi armed group previously exchanged fire in the region from March to early May.
While operating around the Middle East, the British aircraft carrier made a stopover in Duqm, Oman, on June 7 after departing the Red Sea and arriving in the Indian Ocean.
The British-led naval task group made its third port call on June 23, when it reached Singapore—bordering the South China Sea—following a transit across the Indian Ocean.
The British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales enters the Port of Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory on July 23.
The British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales enters the Port of Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory on July 23.
Royal Navy
Prior to its arrival in Darwin, the Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group participated in dual aircraft carrier operations with its American counterpart, led by USS George Washington, in the Timor Sea north of Australia on July 18 as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025.
What People Are Saying
The Royal Navy said in a news release on Wednesday: "The U.K. Carrier Strike Group is part way through Operation Highmast, the Royal Navy's key deployment of 2025. Led by HMS Prince of Wales, and involving a dozen nations, the eight-month mission reaffirms the U.K.'s commitment to the security of the Mediterranean and Indo-Pacific region, demonstrate collective resolve with our allies and showcases British trade and industry."
Commodore James Blackmore, the commander of the U.K. Carrier Strike Group, said in a news release on June 17: "The deployment sends a powerful message that the U.K. and its allies are committed to security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. It's a privilege to lead our sailors, marines, soldiers and aircrew as we demonstrate warfighting capability."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether the Prince of Wales will conduct further joint operations with the George Washington during the remainder of its deployment in the western Pacific.
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