A huge aircraft carrier was visible off the Isle of Man on Saturday afternoon.

The Royal Navy’s flagship HMS Prince of Wales sailed past the island on its way to Liverpool, with crowds seeing the vessel from Douglas Head at around 3pm.

The news was announced by Government House late on Friday.

When confirming that the vessel would be visible off the island, The Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer said he was ‘delighted’ islanders could have a look at one of the most powerful surface warships ever constructed in the UK.

A spokesperson for Government House said it was a ‘great opportunity for the Manx people to have sight of this amazing ship, as she sails to Liverpool’.

HMS Prince of Wales is 70 metres wide and 280 metres long – enough space for three football pitches - and she holds 45 days' worth of food in stores.

She has a crew complement (minimum crew) of around 700, increasing to around 1,600 with aircraft on-board.

The huge vessel is big enough to carry thirty-six F-35B Jets and four Merlin Helicopters.

The warship passed the island on its way to exercise her right to the Freedom of Liverpool, where she is now and staying for a week.

Her crew will be parading through the streets of Liverpool on Friday, December 6 and the vessel will be thrown open to visitors on Saturday and Sunday, December 7 and 8.

The announcement came on the same day that the vessel was named as the Royal Navy’s new flagship, taking over from her sister HMS Queen Elizabeth.

After her visit to Liverpool, the vessel will be part of the UK Carrier Strike Group 2025 operation, which will take the carrier and her task force east of the Suez Canal on a global mission.

Referring to the HMS Prince of Wales’ appointment as the navy’s flagship vessel, her commanding officer Captain Will Blackett, said: ‘This is a proud moment for HMS Prince of Wales.

‘We’ve been training hard, ably assisted by our sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth. We’re ready, we’re excited, and look forward to taking the next step in the ship’s life.’

All photographs of the HMS Prince of Wales off the Isle of Man in this article were taken by Sean Corlett - you can view his images here: https://seansshots.co.uk/home