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UK aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales docks at Marina Bay Cruise Centre
It is one of the UK’s most powerful surface warships, with a flight deck the size of three football pitches.
June 23, 2025, 05:20 PM
One of the world's largest ships, the UK aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, has docked at Marina Bay Cruise Centre.
This is part of its eight-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific region.
Around noon on June 23, the ship arrived at the cruise centre to a warm welcome, with a performance by the Royal Marines Band and a crowd waving British and Singapore flags.
Military personnel aboard the warship stood at attention as it approached the dock, some waving to the crowd as they cheered.
via Mothership
According to the Royal Navy, the aircraft carrier is one of the UK’s most powerful surface warships, with a flight deck the size of three football pitches.
It leads a multinational task force as part of Operation Highmast, the Royal Navy’s main deployment of the year.
Departing from the UK in April and set to wrap in December, the deployment will involve exercises, operations and visits with 30 countries, including Singapore, the U.S., India and Malaysia.
Pic by Mothership.
Deployment to Singapore
While in Singapore, the warship will host a series of other events, such as a science and technology symposium on Jun. 24, as well as an ‘expo’ style event where UK defence and security businesses can network with Singaporean stakeholders.
A think tank roundtable event featuring a fireside chat with UK Minister of State for Defence Vernon Coaker will be held the following day, along with an e-sports tournament between UK and Singapore military personnel.
On Jun. 26, the task force will take part in other off-ship activities, such as sports and a Masterchef competition.
UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Peter Kyle will also be in Singapore during the visit to meet with his local counterparts onboard the vessel.
Photo by Mothership.
Operation Highmast
Operation Highmast showcases the UK’s growing maritime airpower, marking the first time two full squadrons of UK F-35B Lightning II jets, renowned for their short take-off and vertical landing capabilities, embark aboard a British aircraft carrier.
Apart from HMS Prince of Wales, the major deployment also comprises five core ships, 24 jets and 17 helicopters, involving around 4,000 UK military personnel.
via Mothership
“We need to demonstrate the importance of stability around the world and stability in the European Atlantic and we believe very firmly that stability in those two areas is indivisible. You can’t have one without the other,” said British High Commissioner to Singapore, Nikesh Mehta during a press briefing on Jun. 19.
He added, “So much of our trade… goes on in this part of the world, and ensuring we’ve got stability for freedom of navigation, freedom of movement is absolutely essential.”
Pic by Mothership.
The arrival of HMS Prince of Wales comes just as the UK and its NATO allies, apart from Spain, agreed on Jun. 22 to increase their defence spending to 5 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2034.
This is up from UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s previous target of 2.5 per cent.
During his visit to HMS Prince of Wales before its deployment in April, Starmer said that the UK has announced the “largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War”.
“We will always stand with our allies and our commitment to global stability is unshakeable."
Top image via Remy Osman @sgshipspotting on IG
