Overview
- The carrier sailed from Scotland with destroyer HMS Duncan and tanker RFA Tidespring under Commodore Rich Hewitt to begin a carrier-led deployment.
- The group heads first to Norway’s Bergen fjords for Exercise Tamber Shield, which trains crews to stop swarms of small, fast attack boats alongside Norwegian forces and Wildcat helicopters.
- After Tamber Shield, the ships will shift into open northern waters for Dynamic Mongoose, NATO’s premier anti-submarine exercise in the region.
- The early air group will be heavy on helicopters because some UK F-35 jets are committed elsewhere, including at least eight now based in Cyprus.
- HMS Duncan provides long-range air defense for the carrier, and the tanker Tidespring keeps the ships supplied and refueled at sea.