Britain’s deadliest warship is on her first active operations. Sixteen hundred mostly young men and women set sail on a voyage through hostile waters to the other side of the world. The £3.5bn warship carries 18 F35 stealth jet fighters, the most lethal warplane ever designed, plus a squadron of state-of-the-art anti-submarine Merlin helicopters. On board the gigantic aircraft carrier is a ship's company of 1,600 men and women, including 300 US Marines and aviators. This deployment to the other side of an increasingly troubled world will be a demonstration of Britain’s new naval strength to friends and foes alike. HMS Queen Elizabeth is leading a task force of seven destroyers and frigates to protect her and two supply ships to keep her topped up with fuel and stores. The most powerful task force to leave UK shores since the Falklands War will soon need to flex its considerable muscle in the face of escalating international tension and aggression.