RFA Lyme Bay Chennai India 040524 2 CREDIT RFA Lyme Bay X — RFA Lyme Bay is a Bay-class landing ship dock of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, tasked primarily with logistical support for amphibious operations and humanitarian missions (Picture: RFA Lyme Bay).

Navy

RFA Lyme Bay undergoes maintenance while her crew takes on Indian Navy at cricket

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Lyme Bay has undergone a successful maintenance period in Chennai - the first time a Royal Navy vessel has been maintained at an Indian shipyard.

While in port the crew hosted a reception, gave tours of the ship, and participated in a charity outreach event supporting the Street Child charity.

There was even time for a "closely fought cricket match" with the Indian Navy.

Posting on X, RFA Lyme Bay said it was an opportunity to "strengthen our ties ... On a very dry wicket!"

It also gave us opportunity to strengthen our ties with the Indian Navy, who we took on in a closely fought cricket match, on a very dry wicket! A planning conference was also held for upcoming Passex pic.twitter.com/D2QRbIetV9
— RFA LYME BAY (@RFALymeBay) May 4, 2024

The UK’s Littoral Response Group (LRG) arrived in Chennai on 26 March as the first engagement of its deployment to the Indian Pacific region.

Before undergoing essential maintenance at the Larsen and Toubro shipyard in Kattupalli, near Chennai, RFA Argus and RFA Lyme Bay conducted maritime exercises with the Indian Navy as they entered the Arabian Sea.

In 2022 the UK and India signed a logistics-sharing agreement.