French and British carrier groups change to the Mediterranean

 

Flagship aircraft carrier CSG 25 HMS Prince of Wales

After a 105-day deployment east of Suez, the French aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle (R91), accompanied by the Horizon-class frigate FS Forbin (D620), the FREMM Provence (D652) and Alsace (D656) class frigates and the tanker Jacques Chevallier (A725) passed north through the Suez 

Canal on April 7. The Clemencau 25 Carrier Strike Group (CSG) now appears to be heading home to Toulon, and it likely includes a nuclear-powered attack submarine, the type of which has not been identified.

While the French are returning home, the British CSG 25 is preparing to sail from Portsmouth for an eight-month round trip to the Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, including transit through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. CSG 25 flagship HMS Prince of Wales (R09) has completed the Tamber Shield exercise in the North Sea, a 20-day deployment preparation, and has loaded from an ammunition depot in Scotland. A detailed deployment schedule has not been released, but CSG is scheduled for April 22.

Based on a similar deployment to the Pacific Ocean of its sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) in 2021, the Prince of Wales CSG is likely to pass through the Red Sea in May and return in November. It is unclear whether this plan was coordinated with the United States, for which the simultaneous maintenance of two aircraft carriers in the CENTCOM zone puts a strain on resources.