Thousands of British troops will spend 220 days away from their families, as they carry out military exercises in the Indo-Pacific
PORTSMOUTH – On board HMS Prince of Wales, the UK’s largest warship, palettes are being loaded filled with kit, spare parts and supplies.
Over the tannoy, officers call out instructions to the crew, from sailors to aviators, engineers to weapons officers, medics to HR staff.
These young troops are in the final stages of preparation for an eight-month deployment to the Indo Pacific as part of the UK Carrier Strike Group.
Comprised of F-35 fighter jets, warships, helicopters and submarines, the group will carry out exercises with 12 allied nations, testing out its plans, equipment and communications to ensure it is war ready.
The deployment, known as Operation Highmast, is designed to send a strong message to China as it ramps up threats to seize Taiwan, which could trigger a much larger conflict and global economic chaos.
Around 2,500 personnel from the Royal Navy and 592 from the Royal Air Force will be involved in the deployment, joined for some exercises by 900 British Army personnel.
The i Paper was granted access to the fleet’s 65,000-tonne flagship and its crew just days before it set sail, at its home in Portsmouth Harbour.
As the engine whirred into life on Tuesday morning, this diminishing shoreline was the crew’s last glimpse of home until they return at Christmas.
War drills, themed evenings – and bacon and eggs
Between now and December, the Carrier Strike Group will conduct a series of exercises and operations across land, air and sea, in the Mediterranean, Middle East, parts of Asia and Australia.
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It will be accompanied throughout by Norwegian vessels, with partners including the US joining different stages along the operation, and stop at ports including in Oman and Japan.
HMS Prince of Wales is the largest warship in the Royal Navy’s fleet, four feet longer than the otherwise identical HMS Queen Elizabeth due to an engineering quirk, the crew told The i Paper.
There is no typical day on board. But for William Allen, 29, who works in supply chain logistics on the ship, life at sea still incorporates his usual bacon and eggs.
“I try to wake up around 6am to get my workouts in before I start the day. Quick shower, change, and then I go for breakfast. Then I start my day-to-day work,” he says.
“Whenever the engineers need items to fix the ship, we go down and find whatever they need. We tend to relax in the evenings at 6pm. That’s when I get with the boys and we try to do something nice, like a games night or movie night.”
The ship’s chef will run themed nights: curry night, steak night, fish and chip Fridays.
“They try to make it as exciting as they can for us while they’re away,” he says. “As long as I’ve got my bacon and eggs, I’m quite happy.”
Max Fulthorpe, 26, a marine engineer who has been in the Navy for eight years, says the mornings are “a bit different to your normal wake-up routine at home. You’re not normally surrounded by seven other people. There’s people everywhere.
“But that’s also the best bit: the camaraderie. Pardon the pun, but everyone is in the same boat. You can’t escape people’s bad days and good days.”
Around the world – and back for Christmas
In the engineering team, there is a range of jobs from “getting fresh water for the ship to making sure the ship has power, making sure the toilets flush, and the laundrymen can do their job,” explains Oliver Ford, 24.
“There’s a lot to do and organise to make sure its as organised as possible. The toilets is a bit of a rough one,” he admits.
Molly Plant, 24, works as a writer in an office on board the ship, dealing with HR and other administrative tasks. In the evenings she will do her cleaning duties, then try to switch off with friends, the gym or games.
“The things you miss the most are the normal day-to-day things, like being able to jump in your car and go to the shop, which you don’t think about until you’re on here and stuck in one place,” she says.
“But you learn so much and take away so many new skills. We’re working with so many different countries, it’ll be cool to see how they operate and all the different ships they have. It makes you feel like you’re a part of something.”
Final weekend before Christmas reunion
Over Easter, the crew of HMS Prince of Wales savoured the final few days before home soil shrank into the distance – Oliver in true British style, with a “nice curry” and a trip to watch Leeds United at Elland Road, who sent him off with a 6-0 win.
There is Wi-Fi on board so that the crew can stay in touch with family and friends, though it is not quite strong enough for a FaceTime call.
One of those cramming in time with his loved ones this Easter was James Blackmore, the Navy Commodore in charge of the Carrier Strike Group.
His final organisational challenge on land was his 50th birthday party – an understandably “quiet” affair ahead of the operation set to define his career.
“I’m excited by it,” he says of the eight-month voyage. “I’m well prepared. And there are phenomenal numbers of men and women from all the armed services in the UK and international partners who are there to support the delivery of Carrier Strike. I know they’re up for it and they’ll make my job easy.”
But through the homesickness and the long days at sea, the crew they are guided by a shared sense of “pride and camaraderie”.
“I think I will find it difficult to begin with. I think it’s always hard to say goodbye to your loved ones. But I’m making my Christmas list now, so that when I get home I know I get to open a few presents,” says William.
“I’m looking forward to setting off. It’s one of the reasons I decided to join up for the Navy, to make some sort of a difference. And make everyone back home a bit proud.”
