Ark Royal embarks on a five month mission to lead an international task force across the Atlantic in the largest peacetime naval deployment for a decade. However, the volcanic eruption in Iceland causes havoc and soon there is a direct order from the Prime Minister to rescue stranded Britons. Can the Ark convert into a liner for 2000 passengers in just one day?
Episode 2 sees 2000 people expected in Ark's hangar which has been converted into a passenger space for Operation Cunningham. Supplies are delivered and the entire crew is trained to manage their new tourists, but have they done enough in time? To add to the Ark's troubles, she's in trouble herself. A leak in her hull is discovered ñ and repairs are undertaken while she's at sea. Will the Ark Royal be forced to return to Portsmouth for repairs?
On route to Naval Station, Norfolk in Virginia - the largest naval base on Earth - HMS Ark Royal needs to refuel, so calls in the help of a naval tanker almost as big as she is.
In E04 and after four weeks at sea, the Ark sails for Mayport in Florida. Not only that, two hundred US Marine Corps and their twelve Harrier jets are embarking with them. But it's not all hard work and no play: the crew crams in some much needed recreation time in the Florida sun before it's back on deck for some major preparations. The Ark Royal is expecting a visitor... And they don't get any more VIP than the Queen...
It's Episode 5 and HMS Ark Royal is two and a half months into her international deployment and is heading to Halifax in Nova Scotia for some important appointments ñ starting with a visit from the new Prime Minister, David Cameron. But as she approaches port, disaster strikes and the weather takes a turn for the worse. As the fog closes in, there's no room for error. Will the Ark Royal make it in time?
Episode 6. HMS Ark Royal is now halfway through an international deployment but before she leaves Nova Scotia for good, the ship's company has one final appointment to keep. The International Fleet Review is the most important element of the Royal Canadian Navy's centenary celebrations and the Queen is taking the salute. It's not all plain-sailing, however, and soon there is a serious flood onboard. Will the crew stop it on time?
HMS Ark Royal is taking part in large-scale war games with the US Navy. Her mission is to project air power and oversee the landing of Royal Marines into the designated warzone.
After nearly five months since she departed on the Auriga deployment, HMS Ark Royal is welcomed back home into Portsmouth, but not before a full-scale battle damage exercise.
Captain Kyd leads the flagship of the Royal Navy, the Ark Royal, on her final voyage as she is stripped of munitions and docks in Portsmouth for the last time.