USS Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group joins up with British carrier ahead of its maiden deployment

Lianna Brown

1 day ago

Ships from the U.S. Navy’s Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth Carrier Strike Group and the French and Norwegian navies transit the Atlantic Ocean May 17. The Queen Elizabeth, with U.S. Marine F-35Bs embarked, begins its maiden operational deployment Sunday. (MC2 Brenton Poyser/Navy)

As the British Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth and its carrier strike group prepares to set off on its maiden operational deployment, a seven-month jaunt around the world, it was joined in the North Atlantic Ocean by U.S. Navy ships and Marines taking part in the Ragnar Viking exercise .