One of the most powerful surface warships ever constructed in the UK has been spotted in Devon - but bizarrely enough it appeared to be floating through the skies.
HMS Prince of Wales, which is big enough to fit three football pitches, was sighted in Dartmouth on Monday, just after the G7 summit in Cornwall.
The impressive ship, which is 70 metres wide and 280 metres long, was spotted by members of the public in Torbay on Monday.
But mind-bending pictures of the ship make it appear like it is flying in the air above the skyline rather than sailing, DevonLive reports.
Posting in the Dartmouth News and Support Facebook group, Christine Readwin shared a picture of the weird appearance saying:
"HMS Prince of Wales literally flying past the mouth of the river just now," Christine wrote.
What do you make of this? Let us know in the comments section below.
The optical illusion happens sometimes because of the similar colouring of the sea and sky, leading to the ship to have the appearance of it hovering above the water.
It is not the first time the Royal Navy aircraft carrier, which weighs 65,000 tonnes, was seen by people in Dartmouth going along the mouth of the River Dart.
The £3.3billion combat vessel was seen a few miles off the coast where it sailed past Berry Head.
The ship can carry a staggering 700 crew members and has the capacity to carry and embark 40 helicopters.
It recently sailed in waters off Carbis Bay in Cornwall – where Prime Minister Johnson and President Biden agreed a 21st century revised Atlantic Charter.
The Portsmouth-based warship is in the middle of aviation trials, including her first training with F-35 Lightning stealth fighters.
The jet and ship are carrying out Sea Acceptance Trials which test the ship’s ability to not only receive and launch the jets but also maintain near-continuous air operations.
It means Britain has a continuous carrier strike capability, with one vessel always ready to respond to global events at short notice, including humanitarian relief, high intensity war-fighting and fighting terrorism.
Once she was built, the ship began sea trials in September 2019 and first arrived at her new home base of HMNB Portsmouth two months later.
The commanding officer of HMS Prince of Wales is captain Darren Houston.
Before his latest appointment, captain Houston joined HMS Queen Elizabeth as the commander in January 2016.
He helped guide the ship through contractor sea trials, with the first deployment being to the United States for First of Class Fixed Wing Trials embarking the F35 Lightning jet.
