A rare sighting of the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales was spotted off Dartmouth last Saturday, January 22, at around 3pm.

An MOD spokesperson said the ship has been operating off the South Coast with aircraft from RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset and RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall. As it sailed past Dartmouth there appeared to be no aircraft on board.

HMS Prince of Wales is about to embark on a 12-month deployment to take charge of NATO’s most important task force, the Maritime High Readiness Force - an international task group formed to deal with major global events. She was anchored off Falmouth the weekend before she was spotted in Dartmouth’s waters.

The MOD source said the most senior sea-going staff in the Royal Navy – Commander UK Strike Force, headed by Rear Admiral Mike Utley – will oversee many exercises with HMS Prince of Wales in the coming months. These exercises are said to include major workouts for British and allied forces in the Arctic at the end of the winter, Baltic in the summer, and an extensive deployment to the Mediterranean in the autumn.

Both the ship and the staff of Commander UK Strike Force underwent thorough training and preparations for the complex challenge of directing a large, multi-national naval force.

Rear Admiral Mike Utley, during the NATO handover at Portsmouth, said: “Our battle staff have been preparing for this responsibility over the last 12 months by exercising and developing the capabilities required, which culminated in NATO Dynamic Mariner exercise in September 2021.

“This exercise demonstrated to our NATO Allies that the UK’s carrier strike capability will strengthen NATO countries’ long-term ability to work side-by-side and our commitment to each other.”

As well as a test of the battle staff, it will be the first test of HMS Prince of Wales since the carrier was declared fully operational at the beginning of autumn, following two intensive years of trials and training.

Admiral Utley said the carrier’s capabilities are “limitless” – it can deliver food, aid, transport, provide hospital services after a disaster and strike aircraft and helicopters conducting raids or high-end warfare.

He added: “These Queen Elizabeth-class are fantastic ships. The capability of these ships is awesome – they have to be respected. The Royal Navy is global, modern, ready and well placed to support NATO in all its endeavours.”

Captain Steve Higham, HMS Prince of Wales’ Commanding Officer, added: “This year, as the NATO Command Ship, we will spend over 200 days at sea operating globally with our allies. We are ready to lead UK carrier operations for NATO over the next 12 months.”