HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Group Cruises the Red Sea
Having made its way south through the Suez Canal on May 25, ships of the Royal Navy-led Prince of Wales carrier strike group (CSG) have been spotted twice in satellite imagery, proceeding south at relatively slow speed down the Red Sea. The transit through the Canal was covered by two UK P-8 Poseidon MRA1 aircraft operating out of RAF Akrotiri.
Progress of HMS Prince of Wales (R09) down the Red Sea (Google Earth/CJRC)
On May 28, the flagship HMS Prince of Wales (R09) was seen in the sea area between Yanbu and Jeddah (at 22.788744N 37.672278E), alongside HNoMS Maud (A530), from whom she was taking on supplies. Heading northwards during the replenishment operation, the two ships were being trailed by a frigate, probably HMS Richmond (F239). Indicative of flight operations being carried out, RAF KC-2 Voyager refuellers were active over the Red Sea during the preceding days.
HMS Prince of Wales conducting a replenishment at sea on May 28 with HNoMS Maud, trailed by HMS Richmond (Sentinel-2/CJRC)
Further imagery on May 30 showed the CSG in battle formation, now between Jeddah and Jizan, and with HMS Prince of Wales at 19.711N 38.697E. In the imagery, cued by @Schizointel and @MT_Anderson, it was possible to identify HMS Dauntless (D33), HMS Richmond (F239), Canadian HMCS Ville de Quebec (F332), Spanish ESPS Mendez Nunez (F104) and the Norwegian Nansen Class frigate HNoMS Roald Amundsen (F311). On the flank of the CSG was an unidentified Arleigh Burke destroyer, and @MT-Andersen has also spotted a second Arleigh Burke destroyer in the Red Sea area keeping company. Absent was the Norwegian logistics vessel HNoMS Maud (A530), without which the CSG would be unlikely to make a dash through the Bab el Mandeb, unless hereafter it relies solely on RFA Tidespring (A136) for support instead. The CSG is already in range of Houthi drone and missile systems, and is well south of the stand-back area from which US Navy CSGs have recently conducted operations against the Houthis.
If all proceeds to plan, the CSG is likely to be through the area of greatest risk well before knowledge of this becomes public. That a move into the Gulf of Aden is imminent is probable, given that the Houthi ceasefire regarding ships in the Red Sea is still holding, negating any immediate requirement to deploy the CSG’s firepower. But this is also likely because two RAF KC-2 refueling aircraft, and probably also P-8 Poseidon MRA1 aircraft, have now been forward deployed to Oman, from where operations in the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea can be better supported than from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.
The Royal Navy announced in April that HMS Prince of Wales was departing leading an international Carrier Strike Group for an eight-month mission to the Indo-Pacific. Defence Secretary John Healey reported it would be the UK's biggest naval deployment of 2025.