But the £3.3billion, 65,000 tonne HMS Prince of Wales has been put on high alert to respond to the Ukraine crisis if needed. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said earlier this week: “It is on standby to move within hours should tensions rise further.”
Related articles
Yesterday well-wishers lined the harbour walls to welcome the warship as it sailed into Portsmouth Naval Base. It was appointed the command ship of Nato’s Maritime High Readiness Force in January.
The UK has taken over from France to run the Nato task force which is formed to deal with major global incidents.
The task force will be run for the next 12 months by Commander UK Strike Force, headed by Rear Admiral Mike Utley.
Next month HMS Prince of Wales will be on the move again to take part in an international exercise off Norway.