Coronavirus: HMS Queen Elizabeth's 800 crew end quarantine

The ship's company took part in the Clap for Carers on Thursday

Aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has set sail for trials after carrying out a period of quarantine at sea.

The 65,000-tonne warship left Portsmouth on 29 April after all its 800 crew members were tested for coronavirus.

It returned to anchor in the Solent last week for final preparations before departing earlier on Friday.

It is due to undertake training with F35 fighters before its first operational deployment in 2021.

The carrier's departure from Portsmouth Naval Base at the end of April was held up while its crew was tested for Covid-19.

The navy described it as a "short but manageable delay" while it made use of spare NHS testing capacity.

The carrier sailed from anchor off Gosport on Friday

Two members of the ship's company tested positive and were removed and the ship was allowed to sail.

Since leaving Portsmouth, it has been carrying out training including night vision deck helicopter landings by 847 Naval Air Squadron.

It is understood that all Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) staff and personnel involved in flight tests with the F35 Lightning jets who join the ship will be required to have completed a 14-day period of self-isolation.

A Royal Navy spokesman said: "She will undergo several weeks of training and assessment with the staff of FOST to ensure the UK can deliver on its commitment to have a Carrier Strike Group ready to deploy from the end of this year."