HMS Prince of Wales returns to the High North for NATO mission

HMS Prince of Wales has left Portsmouth for the second phase of Operation Firecrest in the Arctic and North Atlantic.

The UK carrier is deploying with more than 1,200 personnel and aircraft including F-35B jets and helicopters.

The group will operate under NATO command and train with allies, including Norway, Denmark and Germany.

The mission supports NATO’s presence in the High North, where the alliance is focused on surveillance and readiness.

The first phase included an interception of a Russian patrol aircraft by British F-35B jets over the Norwegian Sea.

Undersea cables, pipelines and energy links are among the infrastructure the wider deployment aims to help protect.

The carrier is due to host security conferences in Oslo, while the duration of the deployment and its port calls have not been confirmed.