HMS Queen Elizabeth sails into Gibraltar, strengthening long-standing links 

The Royal Navy flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth, one of the most powerful surface warships ever constructed in the UK, sailed into Gibraltar on Saturday at the start of three-month deployment. 

The ship sailed into Gibraltar with around 800 personnel onboard, as well as the Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, Deputy Governor Marc Holland, and Commander British Forces Commodore Tim Davey who arrived for a tour on board some three nautical miles off Europa Point. 

Around 150 of Gibraltar’s dignitaries were also hosted in HMS Queen Elizabeth on Saturday evening, an event which preceded a special open day event for the public on Sunday. 

Some 1,000 tickets sold within four minutes for Sunday’s open day which gave the public a unique opportunity to visit the vessel. 

Captain Claire Thompson, who has previously visited Gibraltar as commanding officer of HMS Montrose, said it was an opportunity to reform relationships and engage with the people of Gibraltar. 

“Gibraltar is such an important place in such an important part of the world that it's incredibly useful for me to bring Queen Elizabeth here to prove the capability,” she said. 

“My sailors are excited about coming to Gibraltar. For some of us we've been here in every rank or on every ship that we've been on, but for lots of my junior ships company this will be their first time in Gibraltar.” 

Captain Thompson said the vessel was also in Gibraltar on a routine logistical stop to restock. 

“We start our operational sea training next month so everything that we're preparing for at the moment is to make sure that there is a formal assessment, where the navy tests our ability to deliver various operations. So our focus post Gibraltar is very much getting ready for that,” she said. 

The 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier is capable of carrying 40 aircraft at a time, and recently left Belfast on following an historic five-day port visit marking the first visit by a British aircraft carrier to the Northern Irish capital in 61 years.  

Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Steve Moorhouse said Gibraltar’s naval base plays a critical role in the support it provides to the Royal Navy. 

“I've seen part of the British forces that are permanently based here and it's just reminded me the critical role that Gibraltar plays, the amazing support that the Rock offers to the Royal Navy, not just today but over hundreds of years, so to be able to join Queen Elizabeth as she comes alongside is fantastic,” he said. 

After the visit to Gibraltar, which will last seven days, HMS Queen Elizabeth will be sailing back out into the Atlantic for the remainder of the year. 

HMS Queen Elizabeth is currently undertaking a demanding programme of operational training and readiness activity.  

The carrier is serving as the Afloat Command Platform for NATO’s Allied Reaction Force (ARF), marking the first time a Queen Elizabeth-class carrier has led this high-readiness maritime reaction force. 

“It's a busy run for her until Christmas so it doesn't stop and with Prince of Wales also at sea up in the high north it's a busy time for the Royal Navy, so we're often out of sight, but hopefully we should never be out of mind and the Navy's as busy today as ever,” Vice Admiral Steve Moorhouse. 

He added under the current global climate with war in Europe, it is an “incredibly busy time” for the Navy. 

The ship is conducting advanced warfare training under the Royal Navy’s Fleet Operational Standards and Training (FOST) organisation, including helicopter integration with Chinooks and the development of emerging uncrewed and autonomous technologies.  

Commadore Davey said his team have been looking forward to the visit for weeks and described how it has been a great opportunity for Gibraltar to see one of the Royal Navy’s two aircraft carriers. 

“There's deep, deep history between the Royal Navy and indeed all of our armed forces here in Gibraltar,” Commadore Davey said. 

“So something of this size actually coming in is a really positive reminder.” 

Commodore Davey took up the post in Gibraltar three months ago and said he has been warmly welcomed. 

He also looks forward to further investment into the armed forces, after the UK earmarked £1.9 billion for defence spending. 

“[It is] a difficult time as we think about homeland resilience in the UK, our transition to war measures potentially as we think through what might happen in a much more congested and contested world and we expect to see some of that flow,” he said. 

“We are well supported at the moment so I think we will continue to bang the drum.” 

“Plenty of opportunities here in Gibraltar from an armed forces perspective and I'd hope to see some of that investment coming this way.” 

HMS Queen Elizabeth is scheduled to resume her role as the UK’s high-readiness strike carrier and fleet flagship in late 2027.