UK Carrier Strike Group heads for the Mediterranean

Royal Navy flagship HMS Prince of Wales is leading warships, aircraft and a submarine of the UK Carrier Strike Group into the Mediterranean ahead major allied exercises.

Approaching the Strait of Gibraltar, the aircraft carrier formed up alongside the majority of her strike group, including an Astute-class submarine, Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless, Type 23 frigate HMS Richmond, RFA Tideforce and RFA Tidespring.

Pictured: HMS Astute crashes through the waves as it surfaces for photographs with the UK Carrier Strike Group 2025. Aerial imagery of the UK CSG25 Op Highmast Task Group taken from a Wildcat of 815 Naval Air Squadron. The Carrier Strike Group is the Royal Navy’s key deployment of 2025. Led by UK flagship HMS Prince of Wales and involving a dozen nations, the eight-month mission – known as Operation Highmast – will take the task group to the western Pacific Rim via the Mediterranean and Middle East with a series of large-scale exercises with Britain’s allies and partners. 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.
Pictured: HMS Prince of Wales sailing alongside HMS Astute. Aerial imagery HMS Prince of Wales sailing alongside HMS Astute as part of the UK CSG25 Op Highmast Task Group taken from a Wildcat of 815 Naval Air Squadron. The Carrier Strike Group is the Royal Navy’s key deployment of 2025. Led by UK flagship HMS Prince of Wales and involving a dozen nations, the eight-month mission – known as Operation Highmast – will take the task group to the western Pacific Rim via the Mediterranean and Middle East with a series of large-scale exercises with Britain’s allies and partners. 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.
Pictured: Front to back: Méndez Núñez, HMS Dauntless, HMS Prince of Wales, HMS Astute. Aerial imagery of the UK CSG25 Op Highmast Task Group taken from a Wildcat of 815 Naval Air Squadron. The Carrier Strike Group is the Royal Navy’s key deployment of 2025. Led by UK flagship HMS Prince of Wales and involving a dozen nations, the eight-month mission – known as Operation Highmast – will take the task group to the western Pacific Rim via the Mediterranean and Middle East with a series of large-scale exercises with Britain’s allies and partners. 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.

New arrival to the group, Spanish frigate Méndez Núñez, Norwegian ships HNoMS Maud and HNoMS Roald Amundsen were also part of the impressive formation, which was captured by Royal Navy photographers from the air by a Wildcat of 815 Naval Air Squadron.

The UK Carrier Strike Group are at the start of a global deployment, having left home shores last week.Between now and December, the Carrier Strike Group will conduct a series of exercises 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 Carrier Strike Group. 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.