HMS Duncan docks at Greek island of Crete while deployed in eastern Mediterranean

HMS Duncan has arrived at the largest of the Greek islands as part of the next leg of her deployment in the eastern Mediterranean.

After docking in Souda Bay on Crete, she carried out a quick replenishment, but is now back out at sea on operations, according to the UK's Defence Attache in Greece.

The Type 45 air defence destroyer had been deployed to the Red Sea to replace HMS Diamond back in May, although HMS Duncan was never seen in the Red Sea.

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The ship will remain in the eastern Mediterranean, but no further information has been made available about her current deployment.

There are currently no US or British ships deployed on Operation Prosperity Guardian, the US-led mission to ensure commercial vessels can navigate the Red Sea region safely.

However, HMS Lancaster is still in the region and can be called upon if she is needed.

HMS Duncan was to have been a like-for-like replacement for HMS Diamond, being armed with the same Sea Viper missile system and equipped with the same radar systems.

She carried out several exercises after joining the USS Wasp task group in early July, including a replenishment at sea with the oiler USNS Patuxent.

As well as operating US Navy Sea Hawk helicopters from her deck, Duncan demonstrated her prowess during an air defence exercise.

This saw the warship fight off simulated attacks from Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier II jets from USS Wasp.

One training package saw Duncan conduct a "Thursday War", a warfighting and damage control exercise typically carried out on a Thursday, which put her previous training into practice.

It is not the first time HMS Duncan has been in Greece on her deployment to the eastern Mediterranean, visiting Souda Bay in Crete for store replenishment during a weapon and sensor trials period.

HMS Duncan was also deployed to help British nationals stuck in Lebanon.

The destroyer was already in the eastern Mediterranean to support allies with humanitarian requirements, and was on hand to help after the Foreign Office renewed calls for British citizens to leave Lebanon where fears of war with Israel grew at the beginning of August.