Royal Navy aircraft carrier departs for training
The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has departed Portsmouth for a three-month training deployment across the UK and northern Europe. The mission serves as the vessel's first official sailing as a NATO command ship.
Why it matters
The deployment underscores the UK's commitment to NATO collective security and readiness amidst ongoing geopolitical tensions in Europe.
Image source, Annie Hoare Image caption, The vessel departed from Portsmouth on Saturday evening
HMS Queen Elizabeth has set sail with hundreds of sailors to take part in a pre-planned deployment around the UK and northern Europe.
The 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier, which was commissioned into service in 2017, left Portsmouth Naval Base at about 18:20 BST on Saturday.
Over the next three months, the £3.2bn warship and her crew of more than 800 sailors will take part in an intensive programme of training, the Royal Navy said.
The deployment marks the vessels first official sailing as Nato's command ship for the Allied Response Force - a designation it received in July this year.
As part of the operation, the carrier will rehearse how an Allied naval force would operate together in the event of a crisis, the Navy said.
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