HMS Prince of Wales leads show of military force as £3.5billion aircraft carrier spearheads fearsome fleet of warships in the Mediterranean - with crew ready to defy China over Taiwan
HMS Prince of Wales has arrived in the warm waters of the Mediterranean, escorted by eight other warships as part of the UK's Carrier Strike Group (CSG).
The 65,000-tonne leviathan - the biggest warship ever built for Britain - is on an eight-month deployment that will take her to the Far East and back.
Jaw-dropping images have shown the vast £3.5billion vessel forming up with the majority of her task group as it approaches the Strait of Gibraltar.
She is accompanied by the £1.6billion nuclear submarine HMS Astute, HMS Dauntless - an £1billion Type 45 destroyer touted by the Navy as one of the world's best air defence warships - and submarine-hunting frigate, HMS Richmond.
Also part of the task group are British tankers RFA Tideforce and RFA Tidespring, which carry critical supplies to replenish the fleet at sea.
New arrival to the fleet, Spanish frigate Méndez Núñez, Norwegian ships HNoMS Maud and HNoMS Roald Amundsen were also part of the breathtaking formation, which was captured by Royal Navy photographers from the air in a Wildcat helicopter.
The maritime juggernaut is at the start of an eight-month global deployment, having left home shores last week.
HMS Astute, pictured front, cuts through the waves with HMS Prince of Wales behind, following by HMS Dauntless - a Type 45 destroyer - and the Spanish frigate Méndez Núñez
Between now and December, the mighty fleet will conduct a series of drills and operations with air, sea and land forces of a dozen allies in the Mediterranean, Middle East, South-east Asia, Japan and Australia.
This is the second deployment of the UK's CSG. The first, led by HMS Queen Elizabeth in 2021, took place against the backdrop of a world in lockdown due to the Covid pandemic.
The 2025 mission, known as Operation Highmast and commanded by Commodore James Blackmore and his staff from aboard HMS Prince of Wales, occurs with a changed world order and even more volatile geo-political situation.
The goal is to reaffirm the UK's commitment to the security of the Mediterranean and Indo-Pacific region, demonstrate collective resolve with our allies and showcase British trade and industry.
Over the course of the deployment, upwards of 4,500 British military personnel will be involved, including nearly 600 RAF and 900 soldiers alongside 2,500 Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines.
But the mission could potentially see the naval flotilla clashing with China when it reaches contested waters in the Indo-Pacific.
While the Government has not confirmed the precise route of 'Operation Highmast', the Navy has not ruled out sailing through the contentious 110-mile wide Taiwan Strait.
The mission comes amid mounting fears that China is planning to launch a full-scale invasion of the island, with Beijing's military having already drilled huge D-Day style assaults of Taiwan using soldiers, marines, warships and its air force.
Pictured (front row left to right) submarine HMS Astute, HMS Prince of Wales, Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless, and the Spanish frigate Mendez Nunez, (middle row left to right) RFA Tideforce, HNoMS Maud of the Royal Norwegian Navy, RFA Tidespring (back row left to right) HNoMS Roald Amundsen of the Royal Norwegian Navy and Type 23 frigate HMS Richmond.
China has been rapidly expanding it's navy, building the equivalent of the entire Royal Navy in just four years - with the pace of shipbuilding outstripping even the US.
And as tensions continue to intensify, the commander of the British-led carrier strike group has insisted the Royal Navy stands ready to defy China - and that it is prepared for any sort of military operation.
'I will deliver whatever mission I am ordered to go and do – that's my role,' a defiant Commodore James Blackmore said ahead of the UK task group's deployment.
'My part of the bargain is being ready for all eventualities from a combat capability, from a defence engagement capability, from a partners and allies capability, so I'm ready to exercise whatever the Government or the Ministry of Defence asks me to do.'
There is even the risk it could find itself coming under missile or suicide drone attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen - which has already launched a number of assaults on vessels in the Red Sea.
The strike group is expected to pass through the busy Middle Eastern shipping lane on its way to the Far East, after completing war drills in the Mediterranean with allies.
A contingent of 18 UK F-35B jets will join the carrier, with that number increasing to 24 during the deployment.
Also joining will be Merlin Mk2 anti-submarine helicopters from RNAS Culdrose and Merlin Mk4 Commando and Wildcat helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton, as well as an undeclared number of T-150 Malloy and Puma drones.
Cdre Blackmore, 50, said the deployment would send a 'powerful message' to allies and potential adversaries about the UK's naval and air power.
While he could not divulge the exact route the fleet would take while in the Indo-Pacific, he added there was a clear motive for being there.
He said: 'It's about supporting key trade routes that exist from the Indo-Pacific region to the UK, and supporting partners and allies in the region, showing that we are there as a capable and credible force should it be required.
'That in a time of crisis, we can come together and fight together and show that we have a capability that we mean business with.'
He added: 'Working closely with partners from across the globe, Operation Highmast will demonstrate credible deterrence and our support to Nato and the rules-based international order.
'This will reaffirm that the UK is secure at home and strong abroad and reinforce the UK's commitment to the Indo-Pacific.'
However, Nato says the contested stretch of sea are international waters and that vessels have a right to freely navigate it.
Despite this, the 2021 deployment of the UK Carrier Strike Group - spearheaded by HMS Prince of Wales's sister ship, HMS Queen Elizabeth - did not traverse the strait.
It led to accusations from Tory MPs that Britain was seeking to cosy up to Beijing. Should the strike group again avoid the territory, similar accusations could arise.
Just weeks ago, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, head of Britain's armed forces, met with top members of China's military during a low-key trip to the Asian superpower.
The meeting, the first by a British Chief of the Defence Staff in a decade, led to speculation the Chinese had warned Adm Radakin to steer clear of the Taiwan Strait during the carrier strike group's mission to the Far East.
The mighty carrier group is on an eight-month mission which will take it tot he Far East and back
China insists it owns almost all of the South China Sea and that the Taiwan Straight falls into its territorial waters.
Captain Will Blackett, commanding officer of HMS Prince of Wales, said: 'We have been training very, very hard for over a year now, and we're good to go.
'This ship is a fantastic machine, she's got amazing equipment - state of the art - and we're very proud to take her around the world.'
Last week saw thousands of families and well-wishers line the harbour walls at Portsmouth to wave off HMS Prince of Wales and her escort ship, HMS Dauntless.
Banners and flags were waved by members of the public from the walls and beach of Portsmouth harbour with sailors aboard the 65,000-tonne warship waving back to cheers from the crowds as they passed.
In a tribute to the Pope Francis, HMS Prince of Wales's ensign flag on its flight deck was at half-mast as a 'sign of a respect' to the late pontiff, a navy spokesman confirmed.
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