#8 Carrier Strike Group 21 | Sailing British diplomacy around the world | Fancy a Brew?
Recently, the UK Carrier Strike Group set sail on their 28-week maiden global deployment, with aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth leading the way
☕️ It’s time to grab another hot cuppa!
Today, tune into our first podcast episode with personnel currently deployed onboard HMS Kent with UK Carrier Strike Group’s global deployment.
Join Petty Officer Stansfield, Able Rate Castello and Lieutenant Tattersall as they discuss life onboard HMS Kent and what it is like being part of the UK Carrier Strike Group.
Haven’t listened to the episode yet? Make sure to tune in down below👇
The UK Carrier Strike Group, led by aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, has set off on their 28-week global deployment. The Carrier Strike Group will engage with more than one-fifth of the world’s nations, including India, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Singapore throughout the duration of the deployment.
Type 23 frigate HMS Kent is part of the UK Carrier Strike Group formation, supporting HMS Queen Elizabeth on her maiden deployment.
Here are our top moments you shouldn't miss👇
What are you looking forward to whilst being deployed with the Carrier Strike Group?
Castello: “I think for me, I’m just soaking it all in because it’s my first deployment, and I just want to enjoy every moment, the good times and bad times, even the bad times like I just want to take everything in, because it’s an experience at the end of the day.
Stansfield: “I’m kind of hoping that if we do get Japan as a stop, Fuji, just because it’ll be incredible, and it will be another tick off of things that I have done.
Why is the Carrier Strike Group deployment important?
Tattersall: “It’s one of those things isn’t it, we’ve just left the EU and the government’s pushing the Global Britain franchise, like sending an aircraft carrier and an aircraft carrier group around the world to have relations with countries like Spain, Jordan and Japan, among others is really, really important.
Stansfield: It also expands our trading capabilities as well, it puts us back to being a blue Navy. We shrank back down to having no aircraft carriers and we weren’t as regarded as we probably once were in terms of being formidable with our size and capability but we have restored that, so we need to push out and make sure that everybody knows that.
What do you like to do in your downtime?
Castello: “To get away from everyday life on the ship, I like doing exercise. I try to find time to do exercise but sometimes I just find myself coming off of watches and rushing straight to bed.
Tattersall: “We’ve got a couple of different places where you can do exercise on board. Upon the upper deck, there’s some weights and a couple of rowers. Circuits are run by our physical trainer onboard who normally does the circuits once or twice a day, so there’s plenty of opportunity and scope to do exercise, it’s just managing your own time really.
Stansfield: “For me, there is nothing better than running in the sunshine. So, if I was at home, I would obviously be running with the dog, and we’d be off on a little jolly adventure, but here as soon as you start getting the warm sun, it’s better than for running on the upper deck I think so I will go and do my own workout, I am not really into mandated exercise.
What do you like about being at sea?
Castello: “I guess when you’re at sea, it depends what state we’re in. I sometimes like having my own little routine, so I think that’s what I like about being a sea. I like when it’s slightly rough and when it rocks you to bed.
Stansfield: “It’s weird for me. I like the fact that you look out and you are able to look at the sea. When you watch the sea state and the waves and see the occasional dolphin pop up, that’s cool but I like the fact that every ocean and every sea looks ever so slightly different, and you can tell as soon as you have transited through a patch of water, and I like the idea that you are going somewhere.”
“I think, what I like most about being at sea is that you are in your own little world almost, you are still connected to people, you can still call and talk to them, you still get the news and everything but what you’re doing is detaching, and now we’re away and working with the Carrier Strike Group.”
— Lieutenant Tattersall
