The HMS Prince of Wales arrived in Singapore during a major Indo-Pacific deployment, highlighting the UK’s commitment to regional security through joint exercises, public engagement, and multinational defense cooperation.
The Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, arrived in Singapore on Monday, marking its first port call in the Far East. The conventionally-powered warship departed Portsmouth, England, in April. She is the centerpiece of the UK-led multinational Carrier Strike Group 25, undertaking an eight-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific.
Operation Highmast has already seen CSG25 transit the Mediterranean, the Suez Canal, and the Red Sea before entering the Indian Ocean. While the carrier and escorts didn’t participate in any joint operations with the United States Navy, as they remain in the region to deter further aggression from Iran and its regional proxies, HMS Prince of Wales did participate in exercises with the Indian Navy earlier in June.
The Carrier Strike Group shared images of the flattop’s arrival in Singapore on social media, and it was announced that the flotilla’s arrival will showcase “Britain’s commitment to peace and security in the Indo-Pacific.”
The multinational task force includes the UK, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, and Spain warships.
A British Carrier Strike Group Visits Singapore
This marks the first time a UK-led CSG has docked at Singapore’s Marina Bay Cruise Centre, and the most recent visit of any aircraft carrier in nearly three years. The US Navy’s Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier USS Ronald Reagan visited the island in July 2022, operating as the only forward-deployed carrier with the 7th Fleet. The USS Ronald Regan had previously made a port call to Singapore in 2019.
The Royal Navy’s HMS Queen Elizabeth visited the maritime Southeast Asian city-state in October 2021 during her deployment with Carrier Strike Group 21, marking the first UK fleet deployment with an aircraft carrier in the 21st century.
As with the 2021 visit, CSG25 aims to reaffirm the UK’s commitment to regional security and strengthen the country’s strategic partnerships in the Indo-Pacific. One difference is whether the carriers were berthed.
HMS Queen Elizabeth was docked at Changi Naval Base, while HMS Prince of Wales arrived at the more accessible Marina Bay Cruise Centre.
In Singapore, the carrier will host around 600 public members who have balloted for tickets to visit the warship. A defense and security industry day is being held in the carrier’s hangar deck, along with a science and technology symposium open to experts from the UK and Singapore. The warship hosted an eSports tournament between British sailors and Singapore military personnel.
The HMS Prince of Wales Will Work with Its Asian Allies
Following the port visit, HMS Prince of Wales is scheduled to participate in joint exercises with the Singapore Armed Forces before making additional regional stops, including Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea. Next month, CSG25 will join the Australian-led Exercise Talisman Sabre. In September, HMS Prince of Wales will be the first Royal Navy carrier to participate in a Five Power Defence Arrangements’ (FPDA) joint drills since HMS Invincible took part in Exercise Flying Fish.
This year’s Bersama Lima will feature warships from the FPDA members, including Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.
HMS Prince of Wales will likely transit the same waters as the last warship to bear the name and be deployed to Singapore. That would be the King George V-class battleship, which was dispatched to the region as Force Z in late 1941, and sunk on December 10 of that year by land-based Japanese bombers. It marked the first time enemy aircraft sank a battleship at sea.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons/US Navy photo by Dane Wiedmann.
