The Royal Navy's Carrier Strike Group is headed out. Can it cope with the Houthis, or China?
It feels like the ship is somehow tightening up. For me it always brought a mix of excited anticipation, a little bit of fear (is this going to be 'the one'?) and some sadness as yet another period of family separation loomed.
And so it will be in the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales today and her accompanying group as they get ready for their eight month trip to the Indo-Pacific. It was announced on Wednesday that the ships of Operation High Mast will sail on 22 April.
The accompanying figures are impressive. Op High Mast will involve 4,000 service personnel: 2,500 from the Navy, 900 from the British Army and just under 600 from the RAF, many of whom will be in the flagship supporting 24 embarked UK fighter jets. Twelve countries are involved with Norway, Spain and Canada all contributing ships. The task group itself includes our carrier, a Type 45 destroyer, a Type 23 Frigate, a Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker and a nuclear powered attack submarine. The Norwegian navy will contribute a frigate (with a Royal Navy helicopter embarked) and a replenishment ship whilst Spain and Canada send one frigate each.
Comparisons with the US are inevitable, so I'll summarise it by saying our group is numerically larger but has slightly less tonnage than a standard US Navy Carrier Strike Group. In one area in particular, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), the Royal Navy led force is better. There are also decent overlapping capabilities between the different ships and the British CSG can therefore protect itself against all surface threats and everything but the very most dangerous missiles. The Type 45 destroyer and Type 23 frigate already have a number of kills on their score sheet, including an Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile.
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Armed forces and ranks
Navy The Royal Navy is the Navy except in formal contexts. Foreign navies, like foreign armies and air forces, are lower case (A Washington official said the navy would... ). The Royal Marines, the Marines, a marine. The United States Marines but later, American marines. 'Marine Corps' is an Americanism. Special Boat Service, but special forces (l/c) Acceptable abbreviations of naval ranks and ratings: Adml, Vice-Adml, Rear-Adml, Capt, Cdre (Commodore), Cdr, Lt-Cdr, Lt, Sub-Lt, CPO, PO (for Chief Petty Officer and Petty Officer, only in lists and after first mention), Ldg Seaman, AB. Technical ratings in full. Admiral of the Fleet. Do not write RN after the names of admirals. NB: Field Marshals, Admirals of the Fleet and Marshals of the Royal Air Force never retire. Submarines should be adequately described: 'Trident' or 'nuclear deterrent' or 'Vanguard class' submarines (the current British class which is nuclear-powered and armed with nuclear ballistic missiles - the successor class, expected in the 2030s, will be the Dreadnought class - this general kind of submarine of any navy may also be known as an SSBN - submersible ship, ballistic missile, nuclear powered); Fleet submarines aka attack or hunter-killer submarines (nuclear-powered but conventionally armed, current British boats are the Astute class, may be referred to as an SSN). All submarines may be referred to as boats rather than ships, often using the name letter of their class as in V-boat or A-boat (Royal Navy submarines of a given class all have names starting with the same letter). Army The Army is capped at every mention. Foreign armies are not. With names write: Field Marshal, Gen, Lt Gen, Maj Gen, Brig, Col, Lt Col, Major (NB: Major is never abbreviated), Capt, Lieut, 2nd Lieut, WOl, WO2, (warrant officers), RSM (Regimental Sergeant-Major), CSM (Company Sergeant-Major), SSM (Squadron Sergeant Major), BSM (Battery Sergeant Major) - all except the RSM can be termed just Sergeant Major - Sgt, Cpl, L/Cpl, Pte, Gm, Gdmn. Abbreviate Driver, Trooper, Rifleman, Gunner (Dvr, Tpr, Rfn, Gnr) only in lists. Do not abbreviate Drum Major, Pipe Major or any ranks or appointments peculiar to one or a few regiments or corps. Private soldiers remain Ptes unless regimental tradition dictates otherwise. In all cases, use the correct term at first mention in military-specific coverage. Thereafter, surname only is acceptable unless clarity requires repetition. Some regiments use distinctive titles for their privates, which should be respected in formal usage: Guardsman – used in the five regiments of Foot Guards. Rifleman – used in The Rifles and some Gurkha units. Fusilier – used in The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. Gunner – used in the Royal Artillery. Sapper – used in the Royal Engineers. Trooper – used in cavalry regiments (e.g. Household Cavalry, Royal Dragoon Guards). Signaller – used in the Royal Corps of Signals. Craftsman – used in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME). Guardsman – used in Foot Guards units (e.g. Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards). Ranger – used in the Royal Irish Regiment. Bandsman – used in military bands; may be followed by rank. Driver – historically used in the Royal Artillery and Royal Logistic Corps; now rare. Musician – used in Corps of Army Music. Bombardier and Lance Bombardier – junior ranks in the Royal Artillery, equivalent to corporal and lance corporal respectively. Marine – used in the Royal Marines instead of Private. A Major General or Lt General should not be abbreviated to Gen, which is the correct abbreviation only for a four-star general; they should be Maj Gen and Lt Gen respectively. Similarly, differentiate Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) from Colonel (Col). There is no rank of Brigadier General in the British Army but it still exists in certain others, and should be abbreviated Brig Gen. Adjutant. CO (commanding officer) is correct only for battalions or regiments. Lower units have an officer commanding or plural officers commanding but do not use OC. Higher units have a commander (eg the Brigade Commander, the Divisional Commander, the Corps Commander, the Army Commander). Always abbreviate C-in-C, Cs-in-C, GOC. Do not confuse Colonel in Chief, an appointment accepted by a (usually royal) notable as a compliment to the regiment, with a lieutenant colonel (or other officer) commanding a battalion (infantry) or regiment (cavalry and artillery units) of the British Army. The Colonel of the Regiment is usually a retired senior officer of the regiment/battalion responsible for recruiting. His is an honorary position. Some regiments have a Colonel Commandant (eg the Parachute Regiment, the Gurkhas). The Household Cavalry and the Foot Guards make up the Household Division; the Foot Guards alone constitute the Guards Division. The Household Cavalry Regiment is the only regiment of mounted troops and was formed from the amalgamation of the Blues and Royals and the Life Guards, which still exist within it; there is a Service Regiment of the HCR with armoured cars. The King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, wear busbies, unlike guardsmen, who wear bearskins. Follow these styles for units and formations: 21st Army Group or Northern Army Group. First Army XI Corps (roman numerals), 3rd Division, S Brigade, 1st Bn Royal Regiment of Wales or 1st Royal Regiment of Wales. Spell out company, battery, squadron, platoon. Do not capitalise the names for foreign regiments. Special Air Service, but special forces (l/c) RAF The Royal Air Force Prefer the RAF except on formal occasions. Air Force is permitted. Lower case for foreign air forces. Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Air Chief Marshal, Air Marshal, Air Vice-Marshal (MRAF, ACM, AM, AVM in lists or when there are repeated references) Air Cdre, Gp Capt, Wg Cdr, Sqd Ldr, Flt Lt, Fg Off, Plt Off, Warrant Officer, Flight Sergeant, Chief Technician (WO, FS, Ch Tech only for lists or repeated references), Sgt, Cpl, SAC, LAC, AC. The rank is aircraftman, even if he is a craftsman. Courts martial Their findings and sentences are subject to confirmation and this should always be pointed out. Cashiering is far more serious than mere dismissal; do not confuse. A naval officer may be dismissed his ship (not dismissed from his ship).
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