Map Tracks UK Aircraft Carrier's Voyage From Europe and Asia
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales—the flagship of the United Kingdom—arrived in Australia on Wednesday as part of its deployment across Europe and the Indo-Pacific.
A Newsweek map tracks the British aircraft carrier's voyage—which began in April from England—toward the South Pacific. The warship is scheduled to visit Japan next, between August and September, Japan's Defense Ministry previously confirmed to Newsweek.
Why It Matters
The Prince of Wales was deployed on an eight-month mission—Operation Highmast—leading a fleet of warships and carrying up to two dozen F-35B stealth fighter jets for drills and operations across the Mediterranean, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Japan and Australia.
The Royal Navy warship became the fourth European aircraft carrier to deploy to the Indo-Pacific since 2021, under the European Carrier Group Interoperability Initiative, which seeks to maintain a continuous naval presence in the region through sequential deployments.
The deployment of the Prince of Wales comes amid an intensifying naval rivalry between the United States—which operates the world's largest fleet of aircraft carriers—and China—which possesses the world's largest naval force by hull count—in the Pacific.
What To Know
Following a three-month voyage that began on April 22 from its home port at Portsmouth Naval Base in England, the Prince of Wales—which took part in Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, hosted by Australia—sailed into Darwin, located in the country's Northern Territory.
The Prince of Wales is the first British aircraft carrier to visit Australia since 1997, when the now-decommissioned HMS Illustrious arrived in Fremantle, Western Australia, as part of a deployment known as Ocean Wave, the Royal Navy said in a news release on Wednesday.
After departing the U.K., the Prince of Wales and its naval strike group transited the Strait of Gibraltar on April 29, entering the Mediterranean from the Atlantic. Their first stop of the deployment was the Greek island of Crete on May 13, before departing European waters.
The U.K. Carrier Strike Group passed through the Suez Canal—a strategic waterway in Egypt that connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea—on May 24. The group conducted operations in the Red Sea for several days, according to the specialist outlet Navy Lookout.
While underway in the Red Sea, the Prince of Wales launched F-35B stealth fighter jets, according to photos released by the Royal Navy. The U.S. military and the Iran-backed Houthi armed group previously exchanged fire in the region from March to early May.
While operating around the Middle East, the British aircraft carrier made a stopover in Duqm, Oman, on June 7 after departing the Red Sea and arriving in the Indian Ocean.
The British-led naval task group made its third port call on June 23, when it reached Singapore—bordering the South China Sea—following a transit across the Indian Ocean.
The British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales enters the Port of Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory on July 23.
The British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales enters the Port of Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory on July 23.
Royal Navy
Prior to its arrival in Darwin, the Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group participated in dual aircraft carrier operations with its American counterpart, led by USS George Washington, in the Timor Sea north of Australia on July 18 as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025.
What People Are Saying
The Royal Navy said in a news release on Wednesday: "The U.K. Carrier Strike Group is part way through Operation Highmast, the Royal Navy's key deployment of 2025. Led by HMS Prince of Wales, and involving a dozen nations, the eight-month mission reaffirms the U.K.'s commitment to the security of the Mediterranean and Indo-Pacific region, demonstrate collective resolve with our allies and showcases British trade and industry."
Commodore James Blackmore, the commander of the U.K. Carrier Strike Group, said in a news release on June 17: "The deployment sends a powerful message that the U.K. and its allies are committed to security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. It's a privilege to lead our sailors, marines, soldiers and aircrew as we demonstrate warfighting capability."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether the Prince of Wales will conduct further joint operations with the George Washington during the remainder of its deployment in the western Pacific.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
5 minutes ago
- The Hill
Former ambassador to EU: 15 percent tariff can be baked into profit margins
President Trump's first-term ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, brushed off concerns on Sunday about higher prices for Americans following news of the U.S.-EU trade deal, which set tariffs at 15 percent on European goods. In an interview with CNN's Jessica Dean, Sondland was asked to respond to folks who see the 15 percent tariff on imported goods and are worried that, for example, their perfume bottles from France will now be 15 percent more expensive. He said Americans might initially see higher prices, but they will soon adjust as competition returns to the market. 'At 15 percent, I think consumers will initially pay, but I also think that this will be baked into the profit margins — or a reduction of the profit margins — on a lot of these products, because the market will start to pull prices back down again as there's more competition,' he said. Sondland said a 15 percent rate will generate enough revenue to make a dent in the reduction of the annual deficit. 'I think at a 15 percent tariff, it's enough to generate. If everything that we imported bore a 15 percent tariff, that would generate about $450 billion for the United States Treasury, which would make an enormous dent in our annual deficit,' Sondland said. 'If the tariff were 30 or 40 or 50 percent, that would be an absolute shutdown, so that wouldn't work. But 10 to 15, I think we can swallow it, and I think it's going to generate a tremendous amount of money if Congress doesn't piss it away on other things,' he added. Trump and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced a trade deal on Sunday, setting tariffs at 15 percent for European goods, including automobiles. The European Union will purchase $750 billion worth of energy from the U.S. as part of the deal, Trump announced, and agreed to invest in the U.S. $600 billion more than the current investments for other goods. The agreement is lower than the 30 percent tariff Trump had threatened to impose on the EU, which would have begun on Friday, and avoids a trade war with the U.S.'s largest trading partner.
USA Today
5 minutes ago
- USA Today
Trump trade deal with EU leaves Europe relieved − and worried
The Europe trade deal will see the U.S. impose a 15% import tariff on most EU goods − half the threatened rate but much more than Europeans hoped for. BRUSSELS − European governments and companies reacted with both relief and concern on Monday to the framework trade deal struck with President Donald Trump, acknowledging what was seen as an unbalanced deal but one that avoided a deeper trade war. The agreement, announced on July 27 between two economies that account for almost a third of global trade, will see the U.S. impose a 15% import tariff on most EU goods − half the threatened rate but much more than what Europeans hoped for. Many of the specifics of the deal were not immediately known, however. More: Trump and EU reach trade deal ahead of looming deadline "As we await full details of the new EU–U.S. trade agreement, one thing is clear: this is a moment of relief but not of celebration," Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever wrote on X. "Tariffs will increase in several areas and some key questions remain unresolved." Trump said the deal, including an investment pledge topping the $550 billion deal signed with Japan last week, would expand ties between the trans-Atlantic powers after years of what he called unfair treatment of U.S. exporters. It will bring clarity for European makers of cars, planes and chemicals. But the EU had initially hoped for a zero-for-zero tariff deal. And the 15% baseline tariff, while an improvement on the threatened rate of 30%, compares to an average U.S. import tariff rate of around 2.5% last year before Trump's return to the White House. More: Trump considers 'rebates' to US taxpayers from tariff income European Commission chief Von der Leyen, describing Trump as a tough negotiator, told reporters on July 27 that it was "the best we could get." European stocks opened up on July 28, with the STOXX 600 at a four-month high and all other major bourses also in the green. Tech and healthcare stocks led the way. More: TACO or tariffs? Trump's big trade deadline is coming. Here's what to expect "The 15% rate is better than the market was fearing," said Jefferies economist Mohit Kumar. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed the deal, saying it averted a trade conflict that would have hit Germany's export-driven economy and its large auto sector hard. Not the end of the story French government ministers said on July 28 that the deal had some merits − such as exemptions they hoped to see for some key French business sectors such as spirits − but was nevertheless not balanced. Industry minister Marc Ferracci stressed more talks - potentially lasting weeks or months - would be needed before the deal could be formally concluded. "This is not the end of the story," he told RTL radio. European companies, meanwhile, were left wondering whether to cheer or lament the accord. "Those who expect a hurricane are grateful for a storm," said Wolfgang Große Entrup, head of the German Chemical Industry Association VCI. "Further escalation has been avoided. Nevertheless, the price is high for both sides. European exports are losing competitiveness. U.S. customers are paying the tariffs," he said. Stellantis shares were up 3.5% and car parts maker Valeo jumped 4.7% while German pharma group Merck KGaA rose 2.9%, in a sign of relief for those sectors. Among the many questions that remain to be answered, however, is how the EU's promise to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in the U.S. and steeply increase energy purchases can be turned into reality. It was not immediately clear if specific pledges of increased investments were made or whether the details still must be hammered out. And while the EU pledged to make $750 billion in strategic purchases over the next three years, including oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and nuclear fuel, the U.S. will struggle to produce enough to meet that demand. While U.S. LNG production capacity is due to almost double over the next four years it will still not be enough to ramp up supplies to Europe, and oil production is expected to be lower than previously forecast this year. Despite the lingering unknowns, analysts stressed the deal still helped decrease uncertainty. Oil prices rose on Monday, as did the euro. "Now that there is more clarity, you would think that not only in the United States, but around the globe, there will be a little bit more willingness to look at investment, to look at expansions, and to look at where the opportunities are," said Rodrigo Catril, senior currency strategist at National Australia Bank.
New York Times
6 minutes ago
- New York Times
France Rebukes E.U.'s Trade Deal With Trump
A day after the European Union and United States struck a trade deal on Sunday, the French government has come out swinging against the agreement, calling instead for tariff retaliation and warning that Europe would be politically weakened if it didn't hit back. 'It is a dark day when an alliance of free peoples, gathered to affirm their values and defend their interests, resolves to submit,' Prime Minister François Bayrou wrote on X about the deal, which imposes 15 percent tariffs on European imports to the United States, but lowers barriers in European countries for American imports. France had been leading a charge in Europe to retaliate against the United States ahead of the deal, after an earlier threat by Mr. Trump to impose a punishing 30 percent tariff on the Europeans. Mr. Trump's on-again, off-again tariff threats had galvanized President Emmanuel Macron in particular, who said the European Union had no choice but to present a show of force. Mr. Macron has yet to comment on the trade deal, but the sharpened attacks by a phalanx of his closest cabinet members were in line with his increasingly confrontational position toward Mr. Trump on key trans-Atlantic issues. Last week, Mr. Macron said his government would recognize a Palestinian state, setting France apart from the United States and most of its close allies, and risking friction with Mr. Trump. With the outlines of a trade deal now clearer, Mr. Macron's government has doubled down. Benjamin Haddad, France's minister in charge of European affairs, suggested that Mr. Trump's trade deal amounted to a predatory tactic and called for Europe to activate an anti-coercion instrument to tax U.S. digital services, or to exclude American tech companies from public contracts in Europe. 'The free trade that has brought shared prosperity to both sides of the Atlantic since the end of the Second World War is now being rejected by the United States, which has opted for economic coercion and complete disregard for W.T.O. rules,' Mr. Haddad wrote on Monday. 'We must quickly draw the necessary conclusions or risk being wiped out.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
