Navy

HMS Diamond crew recognised for bravery after repeated Houthi attacks in the Red Sea

The crew of Royal Navy destroyer HMS Diamond have been honoured by the United States Navy for their bravery during months of missile and drone attacks in the Red Sea.

The Portsmouth-based Type 45 destroyer has been awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation for protecting merchant shipping and allied vessels under sustained fire from Houthi rebels in Yemen between December 2023 and June 2024.

HMS Diamond's Commanding Officer at the time, Commander Peter Evans, travelled to Washington DC to receive the award on behalf of his 200-strong crew.

Presenting the commendation, US Secretary of the Navy John C Phelan praised the sailors for their "truly distinctive accomplishments, unrelenting perseverance, and unfailing devotion to duty", adding that they had "upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service".

The drone silhouettes are painted onto the bridge wing of HMS Diamond and account for each Houthi drone the ships has successfully neutralised 300124 CREDIT LPhot Chris Sellars ROYAL NAVY — The drone silhouettes are painted onto the bridge wing of HMS Diamond and account for each Houthi drone the ship has destroyed (Picture: Royal Navy)

Operating as part of the US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian, HMS Diamond repeatedly came under fire while escorting merchant vessels through one of the world's most important trade routes, the Bab-al-Mandeb Strait, where 11% of global trade passes.

Her Sea Viper missile system and 30mm gun destroyed multiple drones, and even a ballistic missile, across several engagements.

In one of the most intense actions on 9 January 2024, Diamond shot down seven drones aimed at merchant ships, marking the highest number of aerial threats neutralised by a Royal Navy warship in a single day in modern times.

During the six-month deployment, the ship also conducted 12 opposed transits of the strait, escorted seven high-value merchant vessels and joined international efforts to tackle the illegal drugs trade, seizing 2.4 tonnes of narcotics.

HMS Diamond is now undergoing a major refit in Portsmouth, with her Red Sea crew dispersed across the Fleet.