HMS Queen Elizabeth - regularly seen sailing past the Isle of Wight - has marked her fifth anniversary of arriving in Portsmouth.
The flagship, the largest and most powerful vessel ever constructed for the Royal Navy, made her debut in the city five years ago and was formally commissioned in December 2017.
As well as state-of-the-art weaponry and communications systems, HMS Queen Elizabeth boasts five gyms, a chapel, and a medical centre on board. She weighs a total of 65,000 tonnes and can travel at an impressive 25+ knots.
Since her arrival, she has travelled the globe on many operations and exercises, showing the UK’s commitment to global leadership and cooperation.
In 2019, she supported the NATO task group in Westlant19, a significant milestone for the ship which had Royal Navy and RAF jets embarked for the first time. The five-week exercise took place on the east coast of North America and was designed to put the F-35 jets and the carrier’s capabilities through their paces through a series of mission briefs, weapon drops, and much more.
In 2021, the flagship was at the heart of the Carrier Strike Group, a British led, self-contained force providing cutting- edge air, surface, and underwater defence. The seven-month deployment saw HMS Queen Elizabeth working alongside global allies and partners across the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Indian oceans.
In between operations, HMS Queen Elizabeth is still as busy as ever. She has received over one million hours of contractor support at her home in Portsmouth Naval Base from the likes of BAE Systems, Babcock and Thales who have been instrumental in supporting maintenance and upgrading capabilities of the ship.
She has hosted major international events such as Atlantic Future Forum, a two-day summit where Royal Navy personnel were joined by political and industry leaders to discuss new ways of combatting global instability. The flagship was also the host of the official 40th anniversary commemorations of the Falklands conflict. The reception welcomed 200 veterans from across the Armed Forces, members of the South Atlantic Medal Association and Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.
His Royal Highness was not the only Prince of Wales in Portsmouth Naval Base for this event, HMS Queen Elizabeth’s sister ship, HMS Prince of Wales, is also currently alongside in Portsmouth. The sister ships first sailed together in May 2021 to conclude the Carrier Strike Group exercise, a historical moment for the Royal Navy.
Over the last five years, HMS Queen Elizabeth has brought a huge sense of pride to not only the city of Portsmouth and the Solent region, but across the UK and overseas.
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