Defence Secretary uses Portsmouth visit to thank HMS Diamond crew for Red Sea efforts

The Defence Secretary has thanked HMS Diamond's crew for their hard work during a six-month deployment in the Red Sea.

John Healey was visiting the naval base in Portsmouth where he met Royal Navy personnel and spoke about their contribution and experiences of operations around the globe.

It's been two months since the Type 45 air defence destroyer Diamond returned after sailing nearly 44,000 miles and spending 151 days at sea safeguarding vital international shipping lanes and countering Houthi threats.

• Never-before-seen images of HMS Diamond's intense deployment in Red Sea
• Drone-killer HMS Diamond tweaked tactics to down waves of Houthi attacks
• HMS Diamond returns to Portsmouth displaying her Houthi drone kill markings

The Portsmouth-based vessel was part of the international Operation Prosperity Guardian, a task force set up to protect global commercial shipping amid the attack threats.

Her primary role was to provide air defence for ships using the Sea Viper anti-air missile system.

In total, Diamond intercepted nine drones and one ballistic missile. She also carries a Wildcat helicopter which flew sorties totalling 200 hours.

The vessel is referred to as a jewel in the naval crown as one of the most advanced warships in the world.

HMS Diamond made history when she shot down seven drones aimed at merchant vessels in one night, the most aerial threats neutralised by a Royal Navy warship in modern times in a 24-hour period.

The 152.4m destroyer is equipped with a main 4.5in, has the latest radars and intelligence-gathering sensors and a range of sophisticated weapons systems – ready to detect and destroy any airborne, surface and sub-surface threat.

It was on deployment that HMS Diamond became the first Royal Navy warship to fire Sea Viper in anger – she returned on 6 July after playing a pivotal role in the operation. 

Diamond's motto is 'honor clarissima gemma' – which means 'honour is the brightest jewel'.