HMS Queen Elizabeth Westlant 18 deployment – Part 1

HMS Queen Elizabeth sailed from Portsmouth on the 18th August and arrived at Naval Sation Mayport, Florida for her first visit to the United States on 5th September. This photo and video essay documents the initial part of her Westlant 18 deployment.

The RN stated before she sailed that HMS Queen Elizabeth has embarked 700 tonnes of relief stores and contingency planning has been made for disaster relief operations in the Caribbean if required. QE is now conveniently placed to assist if called on but RFA Mounts Bay is already in the region and very well prepared. QE would probably only needed if there was damage of similar severity to that experienced in the wake of Hurricane Irma last year. Everyone fervently hopes this will not be the case, although some storms are forecast.

Assuming she is not needed for relief operations, it is expected QE will only be in Mayport for a few days to collect fuel and supplies before conducting some warm weather trials in the Carribean. She will then head north to Naval Station Norfolk for an extended visit, prior to F-35 trials which will probably start sometime during the third week of September. More news and updates will be posted here as the deployment progresses.