The aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales paid a fleeting visit to Falmouth bay as she is about to embark on a 12-month deployment to take charge of NATO’s most important task force.
The Maritime High Readiness Force is an international task group, formed to deal with major global events.
The ship anchored south east of St Anthony Head on Saturday for an overnight call before departing just before sunrise on Sunday.
She could also be seen from the other side of the water, from the Lizard Peninsula.
The most senior sea-going staff in the Royal Navy – Commander UK Strike Force, headed by Rear Admiral Mike Utley – will oversee many exercises in the coming months.
Future exercises will include major workouts for British and allied forces in the Arctic at the end of the winter, Baltic in the summer, and an extensive deployment to the Mediterranean in the autumn.
Both the ship and the staff of Commander UK Strike Force underwent thorough training and preparations for the complex challenge of directing a large, multi-national naval force.
HMS Prince of Wales off St Anthony before she departed Picture: Steve Lampshire/Camera Club
“Our battle staff have been preparing for this responsibility over the last 12 months by exercising and developing the capabilities required, which culminated in NATO Dynamic Mariner exercise in September 2021,” Admiral Utley said during the NATO handover at Portsmouth.
“This exercise demonstrated to our NATO Allies that the UK’s Carrier Strike capability will strengthen NATO countries' long-term ability to work side-by-side and our commitment to each other.
“These Queen Elizabeth-class are fantastic ships. A carrier itself is a huge ‘force multiplier’. Its capabilities are limitless: you can deliver food, aid, transport, provide hospital services after a disaster all the way up to strike aircraft and helicopters conducting raids or high-end warfare.
"The capability of these ships is awesome – they have to be respected.”
Leaving in the morning sun Picture: Steve Lampshire/Camera Club
As well as a test of the battle staff, it will be the first test of HMS Prince of Wales since the carrier was declared fully operational at the beginning of autumn, following two intensive years of trials and training.
“This year, as the NATO Command Ship, we will spend over 200 days at sea operating globally with our allies. We are ready to lead UK carrier operations for NATO over the next 12 months,” said Captain Steve Higham, Prince of Wales’ Commanding Officer.
First up is leading naval involvement in Cold Response 22, a large-scale Norwegian led NATO exercise which will be used to evaluate Rear Admiral Utley and his staff as the Commander of the NATO Response Force.
“NATO is the cornerstone of the UK defence and our commitment to the alliance is absolute and it is a privilege to be the UK Maritime Component Commander moving into our vital role this year,” Admiral Utley stressed. “The Royal Navy is global, modern, ready and well placed to support NATO in all its endeavours.”
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