HMS Prince Of Wales Begins Next Phase Of Highmast

THE Royal Navy’s HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier has departed Tokyo, Japan and begun the next phase of Operation Highmast. The Queen Elizabeth-class carrier and flagship of the Royal Navy arrived in Tokyo on August 28, marking a historic visit for the UK and Japan.

While in port, the carrier hosted the Pacific Future Forum which featured the defence ministers of the UK and Japan as speakers as well as senior military officials from both countries.

Before arriving in Japan, the Prince of Wales carrier strike group (CSG) participated in a number of operational training activities throughout its eight-month deployment, including the Exercise Talisman Sabre where it carried out dual carrier operations with the US Navy USS George Washington carrier group before joining the America Amphibious Ready Group led by USS America and the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) JS Kaga Task Group for a multi-large deck event.

Now on its return leg, the Prince of Wales strike group is widely anticipated to take part in the Five Power Defense Arrangements (FPDA) Exercise Bersama Lima beginning end of this month. The group consists of the Prince of Wales, Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless, Type 23 frigate HMS Richmond, Royal Norwegian Navy Fridtjof Nansen-class frigate HNoMS Roald Amundsen, and fleet oiler RFA Tidespring

More importantly, the strike group will likely drill in the waters off Kuantan, Malaysia where the previous King George V-class battleship also bearing the Prince of Wales name along with Renown-class battlecruiser HMS Repulse were sunk by Japanese aircraft days after Japanese involvement in then-Malaya. The strike group is expected to hold a commemorative ceremony in the vicinity.–-shp/adj/dl (Pix:RN)