HMS Prince of Wales Leads NATO Warships in Tight Formation

North Atlantic – The British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales led a group of British, French and Norwegian warships in a close formation for a photo exercise during NATO's Neptune Strike 26-4 on November 3.

Footage released by the UK Ministry of Defence shows the carrier at the centre of the group, with HMS St Albans, a French frigate, the Norwegian frigate HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen, HMS Dauntless and HNoMS Maud sailing alongside.

The UK Carrier Strike Group is under NATO command for Neptune Strike 26, a mission focused on collective defence and deterrence, the ministry said. HMS Prince of Wales, Britain's biggest warship, is resuming its Operation Firecrest deployment.

The ministry said the next phase will focus on operational readiness and on working more closely with allied navies.