Drone-killer HMS Diamond tweaked tactics to down waves of Houthi attacks
The captain of HMS Diamond said the ship made some tactical tweaks to repel numerous attacks by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.
The Type 45 destroyer had a busy deployment which included shooting down seven Houthi attack drones in just one day – a record for a British warship – and becoming the first Royal Navy vessel to fire Sea Viper missiles in anger.
In an exclusive broadcast interview with BFBS Forces News, HMS Diamond's Commanding Officer, Commander Pete Evans, said: "We just followed our normal basic training.
"We amended some of our tactics and some of our procedures for a new type of threat, and it proved to be hugely effective.
"The Sea Viper system is a superb anti-air system," he added.
"The radar detects the target, passes the track to the command system and then the AWOs (air warfare officers) and the air warfare team choose which target to engage and send the missile away."
HMS Diamond was tasked with protecting international shipping from attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Cdr Evans said his team fought off the first attack in December, just one day after transiting through the Suez Canal.
Recalling the day Diamond shot down seven drones, he said: "The major engagement took place in early January, where ourselves and the US warship Gravely were involved in a mass swarm UAV attack against merchant ships
"Even though there were 30 or 40 UAVs in the air, not a single merchant ship suffered any damage."
Cdr Evans said the ship's crew took part "in three or four separate engagements through the region" during the deployment.
HMS Diamond's tenth, and last target shot down, also made history as no British ship, aircraft or otherwise has engaged a target travelling as fast as the Houthi missile in question.
Cdr Evans identified the downing of the ballistic missile as his highlight of the deployment.
"I mean, that type of missile is incredibly fast, incredibly difficult to engage successfully," he told BFBS Forces News.
"But the ship's company was so well drilled and so well prepared that they were able to acquire the target and engage it and keep not only Diamond but also a nearby merchant vessel safe.
"I think that innovation and that flexibility and that readiness is absolutely superb."
The Houthis opted for missiles after their drone sites were bombed by US and British jets.
The ship's more traditional weapons were also used to thwart attacks, with Cdr Evans adding the ship got a kill with the 30mm cannon.
"One of the drones was heading for a nearby merchant ship down the side of the ship," he explained.
"So we were able to engage it with the gun.
"I think that's one of the first gun engagements for many, many years so, yeah, our aimers did really, really well."
With Diamond now back in Portsmouth for a maintenance period, the ship's crew will serve elsewhere in the Navy.
But, painted on the ship's bridge wing are drawings of the drones and missile the ship took out.
When asked about the kill markings, Cdr Evans explained: "Me and the XO both knew we wanted to do something.
"But he got the stencil sorted out and then when we were alongside in a log stop one time, we painted them up.
"It's just something that the ship's company can see visually and ship's company can really get behind."
They may have moved on from HMS Diamond, but Cdr Evans said he is "so proud of the ship's company and proud of everything they've achieved".
"Everyone contributes to the mission and everyone shares in that success," he said.
The ship's deployment saw her sail almost 44,000 miles, spending 151 days at sea, and ended in a patrol of the Indian Ocean – with the ship countering illegal activity and seizing 2.4 tonnes of drugs.
During the deployment, HMS Diamond's crew consumed 1,362 tins of baked beans, 5,837 eggs, 10,896 litres of milk, 3,405kg of cheese, 36,750kg of potatoes and 40,860 sausages.
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