HMS Diamond returns to Portsmouth displaying her Houthi drone kill markings

HMS Diamond has returned home to Portsmouth after seven months deployed in the Red Sea and Middle East to protect shipping lanes from Houthi attacks.

Dozens of people gathered to wave and cheer to the Type 45 Destroyer as she sailed into the harbour, with her drone kill markings from successfully thwarted strikes on display.

In April, HMS Diamond made history when she shot down a Houthi missile – the first combat interception of this type in more than 30 years.

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During her deployment, she shot down nine drones and one missile that were launched at cargo ships by Houthi rebels based in Yemen.

The first seven were Samad-2 kamikaze drones, with the eighth silhouette marked on the ship likely to be a Shahed-136 drone, known more recently for its increased role in the war in Ukraine.

The twin tail booms silhouette and the ninth drone appears to be a Mersad-2 VTOL recce drone.

The mission was part of Operation Prosperity Guardian – a multinational coalition to protect international shipping in the region.

Her sister ship HMS Duncan is now deploying to the Red Sea and will be a like-for-like replacement for Diamond – armed with the same Sea Viper missile system and equipped with the same radar systems, which can accurately detect far away threats.

The destroyer has been deployed for 10 months after initially escorting the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth for Nato exercises off the coast of Norway last autumn.

Commanding Officer Commander Peter Evans said: "The sailors on board HMS Diamond have been fantastic – through the 10 months we've been away, they have demonstrated courage, professionalism and the very best of teamwork.

"Whether it be operating as part of the Carrier Strike Group within the Arctic Circle, fighting in the Red Sea to protect merchant seafarers' lives or conducting counter-narcotic operations; every success that Diamond has achieved for the Royal Navy and UK Defence is due to her ship's company.

"We're now really excited to be home with our friends and families, whose support has been absolutely critical to us on board."

During her 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.