More than 5,000 US sailors to swamp Portsmouth Harbour
A gigantic 100,000-tonne aircraft carrier named USS Theodore Roosevelt will anchor off Stokes Bay, Gosport, Hampshire, for a five-day visit, bringing more than 5,000 US soldiers with it.
This will be its first port of call in its round-the-world deployment.
The ship is substantially larger than the Royal Navy's next generation of carriers which weigh in at 65,000 tonnes and is too big to enter Portsmouth Harbour.
The visit forms parts of an ongoing partnership between the Royal Navy and US on carrier operations until the first of the new carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth, enters service in 2017. Words: PA
Among Roosevelt's 5,226 crew are six Royal Navy aircraft handlers who are honing their skills ahead of serving aboard the first of the new carriers.
And senior officers will call on Royal Navy top brass during the visit to discuss recent global operations and get an update on the UK's carrier programme.
The Royal Navy's First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir George Zambellas, said: "It is excellent to see US Navy carrier steel in Portsmouth. And in barely two years we will see UK carrier steel here too.
"We warmly welcome the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group - a reflection of the close partnership between our nations and navies, and the value of credible seapower in support of our shared national interests.
"Across the spectrum - from Type 45 destroyers providing area air defence for US carriers launching air strikes against ISIL, to generous US support as we regenerate our own carrier strike capability - our common bond has never been richer."
The Roosevelt is accompanied by its escort ship, the destroyer Winston S Churchill, which traditionally has a UK navigator on board to honour the ship's British connection and the post is currently held by 27-year-old Lieutenant Lynsey Sewell.
The two navies will also come face-to-face on the football field when a Theodore Roosevelt team face HMS Diamond at HMS Temeraire.
The two ships arrive on Sunday and will depart on March 27.
Related stories
World's largest cruise ship docks in UK for first time
Large cargo ship hits rocks and runs aground in Scotland
World's largest container ship docks in London
Britain's biggest cruise ship named by the Queen
