How many eggs does it take to feed HMS Queen Elizabeth's shipmates?

HMS Queen Elizabeth is heading off for her latest deployment carrying the ingredients to make the most epic breakfast anyone could imagine. 

In preparation to feed the 1,450 crew members deploying to the Mediterranean, the aircraft carrier has been embarking a massive amount stores – imagine unpacking this from your weekly grocery shop. 

The Royal Navy's flagship will carry 10 tonnes of baked beans and enough sausages that if strung together would be four times the height of the Burj Khalifa – the tallest building in the world.

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And to finish off the perfect full English breakfast, HMS Queen Elizabeth is being loaded with so many eggs that it would 240 hens a whole year to lay.

On average, a hen will lay 300 eggs per year so if we multiply that by 240 that's a staggering 72,000 eggs.

That's not all the food they're loading onto the 65,000-tonne warship.

Pictures posted on HMS Queen Elizabeth's account on X, formerly Twitter, show carrots, potatoes, swede and what looks like cabbage - some vital ingredients for a Sunday roast.

The crew won't be going thirsty either, as there'll be enough squash to fill 40 bathtubs.

The deployment of the King's flagship - Charles became the sponsor of HMS Queen Elizabeth in August following the death of his mother - will lead a carrier strike group for the fourth time in four years. 

The aircraft carrier left Portsmouth Naval Base in July for two weeks of sea trials to prepare her for her mission to the Med.

Meanwhile, following nine months of repairs, HMS Prince of Wales left Portsmouth naval base last week for trials with drones and F-35 jets on her longest deployment yet.

You can rewatch Forces News' live broadcast of the ship departing Portsmouth below:

The 280-metre-long aircraft carrier will be operating off the east coast of the United States, but will return to the UK before Christmas.

During the three-month deployment, the crew of the £3bn warship will be working with their American counterparts to develop some advanced operating techniques with Mojave drones, F-35B Lightning stealth fighters and US Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.

HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales are the largest and most powerful vessels ever constructed for the Royal Navy.