Thousands of British service personnel have returned to their home ports in the Royal Navy's biggest homecoming in 20 years. HMS Prince of Wales and its support ships arrived back after an eight-month deployment that took them 40,000 nautical miles across three continents.
The return was brought forward due to heavy winds forecast for Monday. More than 2,500 military personnel – including 2,100 Britons, 200 Norwegians, and similar numbers of Canadians and Spanish – will now spend Christmas with their families.
HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Dauntless docked at Portsmouth Naval Base, while HMS Richmond returned to Plymouth. Norwegian vessel HNoMS Roald Amundsen sailed home to Norway. Fast jet and helicopter crews reunited with families at RAF Marham, RNAS Culdrose, and RNAS Yeovilton.
Emotional reunions after months apart
Lieutenant Simon Hall welcomed his wife, Lieutenant Commander Phoebe Hall, at Portsmouth Naval Base with their five-year-old daughter Ophelia. Phoebe had joined the deployment in Japan, leaving Simon as a solo parent for four months. «Having her back for the special season is the icing on the cake», he said. Ophelia's assessment was simpler: «It's been hard.»
Anne Aspin traveled 350 miles from Manchester with her children to reunite with her husband, Chief Petty Officer Chris Aspin. «We haven't seen him for the whole eight months, it's been hard», she said. Nine-year-old William said: «I'm looking forward to him being back.» His 13-year-old sister Jessica added: «I haven't missed beard rash and him standing in front of the TV, but I've missed him a lot.»
Strategic significance of Operation Highmast
The deployment, named Operation Highmast, involved diplomatic visits and exercises with allies across the Mediterranean, Middle East, south-east Asia, and the Indo-Pacific. The carrier strike group worked with over 30 nations during its voyage.
Defence Secretary John Healey said the deployment demonstrated how Britain is investing in its armed forces and boosting economic growth. «Over the past eight months, our servicemen and women have demonstrated the very best of Britain's military», he said in a statement. «They've strengthened vital partnerships and shown that Britain is a nation open for business.»
Last week, the Defence Secretary announced the UK Carrier Strike Group had reached full operating capability. Commodore James Blackmore, who commanded the operation, said: «The strike group has come home stronger for Nato than it departed and I am incredibly proud of all those who have taken part in Operation Highmast.»
Trade and economic impact
The deployment also served economic interests. The carrier strike group hosted trade and investment summits in Singapore, Australia, and Japan during its voyage. Trade with the Indo-Pacific region is worth more than £280 billion – almost 20% of all UK trade.
An MoD spokesman emphasized the deployment's business dimension: «This global deployment has showed Britain is open for business. The carrier strike group has hosted major trade and investment summits during its deployment [...] helping drive economic growth in the UK.»
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
