This photo and video essay cover the activities of the Carrier Strike Group on the final part of the 2021 deployment that took them from the Gulf of Oman, through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean and back to UK waters.
After operations in the Indian Ocean, the CSG headed to Oman, one of the UK’s closest partners in the Middle East. The port of Dqum has been expanded and is capable of providing support to RN vessels with dry docks capable of taking HMS Queen Elizabeth. A permanent Joint Logistics Support Base (UKJLSB) has been established at Duqm, operated by Oman Drydock Company and Babcock on a 37-year lease which would allow the RN to keep the carriers deployed in the Middle East or beyond for a longer period if needed. On the occasion of her first visit, such support for the carrier was not needed on a large scale and the main purpose was to highlight trade and military cooperation links with Oman.
While the flagship was alongside in Duqm the Defence Secretary hosted the Omani Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs, His Highness Shihab bin Tariq. They also witnessed joint exercise Khanjar Oman at the Ras Madrakah training area involving UK and Omani troops, with ground forces supported by the Carrier Strike Group at sea and F-35 jets from the air.
After visiting Bangladesh, HMS kent operated in the Indian Ocean, working with the multi-national task group Combined Task Force 150 on counter-narcotics operations. She then visited Mombassa and the embarked Royal Marines of 42 Commando provided two days of boarding training with the Kenyan Special Boat Unit. There was a full run shore for the ship’s company that included organised safaris and personnel also volunteered to help with painting at two local children’s homes.
While operating in the Arabian Sea on 11th November, USMC aircraft of VMFA-211 cross-decked F-35Bs from HMS Queen Elizabeth to the amphibious assault ship USS Essex. Simultaneously, aircraft from the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron VMM-165 based on USS Essex landed on Queen Elizabeth demonstrating increased interoperability. The evolution underscored continued efforts by the USMC to shift away from static, built-up airfields towards Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO).
The lost jet
On 16th November HMS Queen Elizabeth passed through the Suez Canal and into the Mediterranean. While conducting routine flying operations on the 17th November a UK F-35 jet crashed on takeoff. Leaked footage shows the pilot ejected at the end of the ski ramp as the aircraft lacked sufficient airspeed to get airborne. Fortunately, the pilot survived and landed back on the ship under parachute and did not get wet. He has subsequently flown ashore for precautionary medical checks. Various unofficial sources report that the cause was a protective foam engine blank that was sucked into the jet, causing the loss of power. One of the blanks became dislodged and was blown out of sight into the central void in front of the engine. During pre-flight checks, the assumption was made that both covers had been removed when in fact one was lodged in the aircraft out of view. This version of events is unverified and the outcome of the investigation should be awaited before making judgements.
It has subsequently emerged that unfortunately, the aircraft lost was one of the newest in the UK fleet – ZM152. She first flew in June 2019 and would have had significantly lower Block IV upgrade requirements than older airframes. In co-operation with NATO allies, the MoD SALMO is taking the lead in the efforts to recover the wreck of the aircraft believed to be in around 1,500m of water in the Levantine Sea, South of Cyprus. (See previous article). The accident did not have a major impact on the CSG programme which progressed as planned in the Mediterranean but the loss of a precious £100M jet will inevitably slightly overshadow the deployment which has been otherwise highly successful.
On 22nd November, NATO visitors were flown out to the flagship onboard three MV-22 Ospreys from Naval Air Station Sigonella to visit the ship off the coast of Italy where they observed flying operations and toured the ship.
While operating south-east of Sicily, aircraft of a third nation landed on HMS Queen Elizabeth for the first time. Italian Navy and Italian Air Force jets conducted joint exercises with CSG. USMC and UK jets also landed on the Italian flagship ITS Cavour and the destroyer ITS Andrea Doria was integrated into the CSG for a few days.
On 20th November RFA Tidesurge took over from RFA Tidespring as the support tanker for the group
On 24th November the USMC jets flew off HMS Queen Elizabeth to Naval Station, Rota in Spain, their first stop on their return to their home base at MACS Yuma in Arizona. The deployment of US aircraft on the British carrier has been an outstanding success and likely to be repeated again in future. The carrier subsequently made her final port visit of the deployment in Rota to offload USMC personnel and equipment.
RFA Tidespring was the first of the UK CSG vessel to arrive home and was formally welcomed by the head of the RFA, Commodore David Eagles. During the deployment, she spent 136 days at sea, steamed 43,136 nautical miles, supplied 58 million litres of diesel fuel, 14 million litres of aviation fuel and 169,000 litres of fresh water.
The remaining CSG participants will return home to the UK later this week after seven months away and covering around 50,000 nautical miles. (Full homecoming and post-deployment report to follow).
Amazing – thank you so much as always!
Great photo essay, thanks.
I´m assuming that HMS Astute sailed home by the Cape of Good Hope? This has been an especially long deployment for a submarine. Do we know if there have been any crew rotations during this deployment?
SSNs don’t have crew rotations per se, some departments will have a 5th watch which will probably fly out at some stage of the deployment and relieve some personnel. Those that are what is termed ‘black watch’ will do the whole deployment.
Astute will have come back through the Suez with the rest of the CSG, going round the Cape adds an extra 3-4000 miles to the trip and burns ‘core life’ needlessly. Although the cores are expected to last some 25 years without refueling, it’s not a unlimited supply of power.
Do SSN’s have to transit the Suez Canal surfaced? Are SSBN’s allowed through?
Yes. they transit the Suez surfaced, it’s far to shallow/narrow and restrictive for anything else.
Not sure if SSBNs would be allowed through, it’s not really something you would do with one, far too vunerable to have one sat in restricted waters for some 20 hrs. Too many mad hatters would likely have a pop at it.
12-16 hours for a transit.
No, they tend to sit below a Tanker to avoid detection.
Always, very sly these SMs!
Hi Deep32, When American SSNs go to foreign ports they usually fly in Navy SEALs to provide security. I was wondering if the Royal Navy do similar as the Astute went to Busan, South Korea without an surface escort?
No we don’t normally do that, ships company provide security for the SM. When in foreign ports they liaise with local authorities who may well provide some form of force protection.
I think the whole reason to send HMS Astute would be to protect the CSG the entire trip including in the Med. That is if it was Astute and only Astute.
What date is the QE expected back?
Today.
In about 3 1/2 hrs from now!!
An excellent article and thank you for sharing
Lovely pics. Thank you.
Fantastic, thank you.
Very nice read, good job.
I see some media are reporting the F-35 has been raised successfully from the Med sea floor.
It wasnt really in doubt this would occur
Enjoyed that, very nice article well put together.
Lot’s to read and some great pictures, can anyone throw any light on why HMS Queen Elizabeth has such odd patches of paint ?
If you are talking deck, those are the heat resistant landing zones for the F35B.
Hull, is called 6 months deployment at sea…
No. The hull was painted in different shades of grey when it was still in Portsmouth. To be honest for 6 months out she looks very well.
Yes X, but any Idea why ?
They could be testing different paints for any number of different reasons.
Or simply knowing today’s MoD (N) they ran out of paint at one point and bought something else.
It does look a mess.
Colour of epoxy paint can depend on the cure temperature and the way it is mixed. If it is aerated and not degassed in application it can have a different hue.
The exact application method can make it look different in different angles of light due to how flat it is/isn’t. This can be down to substrate and preparation and or the application of undercoats.
There can be lots of reasons why paint is the same but looks different.
So, does that explain why all the areas/lines are uniformly square and individual then ? or are you just making it up to sound like you actually know ?
It looks a mess.
I was talking about the Hull, as you can clearly see in all the pictures above and those shown prior to deployment. We see Dazzle on Rivers, is this a type of Dazzle too ?
No its not a dazzle. That dazzle cam business is just spin.
Yes I know that, so what is it for then ? We know the original intentions for dazzle when it was first applied but here we are 100 years later and you can’t blame Dulux for the variation.
It’s just different batches of paint being tested for whatever reason. We live in strange times. As long as she is painted a nice Pusser grey in refit and not that weird aquamarine-grey-bluish shade I don’t care.
Ah the photo of the gangway was my doing
Your Photo or your Fork Lift skills ?
I suppose there are 2 basic questions with regard to this deployment:
The QE’s are an important part of the West’s collective defence. Taking the ship out to meet allies especially those going on to buy say F35b can only be a good thing. The RN did need to stretch its legs too. But let us not forget that many container ships do that trip all the year round. RimPac in a year or three perhaps?
I think you’ll find that in terms of training value and interaction with allies that deployment did more for 617Sqn than the preceding four years since it stood up.
Likewise – operating a TG at sea at distance from UK over six months has (re)learned many lessons about how to run and operate ships (and submarines) for sustained periods.
Everyone between the UK and Japan now knows that the UK can operate out there with a significant – and growing – capability.
CSG23 is next. I’d anticipate them becoming more frequent as availability improves.
Great article and fantastic job of work by the RN, RFA and allies.
Do we know how well Crowsnest performed?
Very much looking forward to the TV documentary of this deployment.
what a wonderful essay.
firstly, well done to everyone involved
secondly, I don’t care about the crashed F35 – its part of doing business and does not detract from the success of this mission in my eyes.
thirdly, the picture of the 3 Opsreys just looks so right – surely we need to get a fleet of these or their successors for the UK
and lastly – is it just me or do the T23’s still look amazing!! I have often wondered why we don’t take the best of the spartan design and re use this hull form..
Just shows what can be achieved with the right focus and consistent leadership
You’re pissed, right ?
Thanks so much for this great article and photo essay, very heartening. Global Britain is a real thing, note how much of the world is now based on the British way of doing things.
Just curious, I did not notice any visits of the CSG on this trip to my earlier home in Australasia, or did I miss that? The last time the RN was seen there in any force was in 1970/71 when HMS Eagle, with escorts and RFA ships was sent on a trip to try and reassure us in the remains of the Empire that they still cared, after the announcement of the withdrawl from East of Suez. Of course we were not told that HMG already planned to scrap the aircraft carriers upon which the reassurance depended.
Now it is a new day, and we all look forward to tomorrow.
Great job
John
PS I agree not to be too upset about losing a plane, one of the huge advantages of UK and US militaries over competing ones is the .infinitely superior training and practice, inevitably resulting in some losses and casualties, but creating an advantage that unpracticed opponents do not have even if on paper their capabilities might seem superior.
HMS Astute called at the Australian submarine base in Western Australia in late October, early November if that counts? Was covered by UK Defence Journal site & various Australian defence media.