And Captain Kyd also took the opportunity to warn about the “deeply frightening future” of warfare as he prepared to hand over command of the ship, having safely brought it across the Atlantic.
HMS Queen Elizabeth – pictured with the Statue of Liberty in the background – and HMS Prince of Wales have been designed to work alongside F-35 stealth jets.
The aircraft carrier has conducted 98 take-offs with the F-35B Stealth Lightning II Jets from her decks.
For the last two months, it has been home to more than 1,500 military and civilian personnel.
The ship was built at Rosyth Dockyard at a cost of £3.2billion
Measuring 932 feet, the ship weighs in at a colossal 65,000 tonnes.
Captain Kyd addressed the ship’s company yesterday for the last time, prior to handing over command to Captain Nicholas Cooke-Priest, the Forces Network reported.
Telling the crew the ship was “now the future of the Royal Navy,” he added: “When the Prince of Wales joins this ship next year, this is a navy we can be really proud of.
“We are back on the world stage, we are back in power projection operations, and we are back in protecting your families, the British people at home and our interests around the world.”
Captain Kyd later added: ”The nature of warfare won’t change – which is to dominate and kill the enemy – I think it is a exciting but deeply frightening future where I think the ethics and morals of war will be tested, and where we will see, I am sure, robots engaged in killing other human beings.
“I am delighted and proud to be bringing HMS Queen Elizabeth into New York harbour for the first time.
“This visit is very symbolic of the intimate relationship the Royal Navy has with the US Navy and Marine Corps and comes at the mid-way point in the F-35B fixed wing flight trials.
“We have over 170 embarked US staff at the moment onboard in support of the flight trials, including a USMC test pilot and we are all extremely pleased with our progress so far.”
Defence Minister Gavin Williamson said: “HMS Queen Elizabeth is not just a warship, but a symbol of our enduring commitment to our security, and the security of our allies too.
“This state-of-the-art ship is built on more than 470 years of proud Royal Navy history and her entry into New York harbour shows that our Armed Forces are ready to stand by our allies for generations to come.”
The ship is fully operational, although it will not officially be accepted into the Royal Navy fleet until December.
It left Portsmouth Naval Base in August, sailing across the Atlantic to start her maiden four-month deployment, named Westlant 18.
Mr Williamson is scheduled to visit the vessel tomorrow, and will make a speech during a special dinner held onboard to commemorate the 213th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar on Sunday, at which Admiral Nelson famously defeated a combined force of French and Spanish ships for Britain’s most celebrated naval victory.
Other dignitaries including the head of the Royal Navy, Admiral Sir Philip Jones, are also expected.
The vessel’s sister ship, the HMS Prince of Wales, is currently under construction, also at Rosyth Dockyard, and also at a cost of £3.1
She will be handed over the Royal Navy next year prior to commissioning in 2020.