HMS Prince of Wales has reached Gibraltar, marking one of the final stages of a long operational deployment that has kept the Royal Navy’s flagship far from home for many months. The carrier arrived together with her escort group and will remain in port for a few days before leaving the Mediterranean and beginning the transit back toward the United Kingdom, likely around the end of November.
The stop comes shortly after the ship achieved full operational capability during NATO-led exercises, confirming that the carrier can mobilise within five to ten days in the event of a crisis. This milestone was highlighted by UK Defence Secretary John Healy, who last week described the vessel as ready for war and fully available to NATO if required. Speaking aboard the ship off the coast of Naples, Healy framed the deployment as a clear demonstration of the Alliance’s hard power and a message aimed at Moscow.
HMS Prince of Wales is operating with her standard group of supporting units: HMS Dauntless, Type 45 destroyer; HMS Richmond, a Type 23 frigate; RFA Tideforce and RFA Lyme Bay. Their coordinated arrival underscores the scale of the UK Carrier Strike Group’s activity during this deployment.
Gibraltar once again serves as the natural gateway between two theatres, offering a pause for logistics and crew rest before the carrier resumes her route home. Local authorities have established a 200-metre exclusion zone to the west of the port where the ship is moored, a standard measure when large naval assets visit the territory.
The carrier group is expected to stay in Gibraltar until Friday. After that, HMS Prince of Wales will likely set course through the Strait of Gibraltar and into the Atlantic, signaling the conclusion of an extended and highly visible international presence that has taken the ship from the central Mediterranean to NATO exercises across southern Europe.
For the crew, the stop in Gibraltar marks one of the final steps before returning to Portsmouth, closing a deployment that has showcased British naval readiness and the role of the UK Carrier Strike Group within allied operations.
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