Navy

Royal Navy warships return home in time for Christmas following busy deployments

Watch: HMS Portland sails home to Devonport naval base in time for Christmas

Royal Navy warships HMS Portland and HMS Iron Duke have returned home from overseas in time for Christmas.

It brings the curtain down on a busy 2024 as the sister ships complete their autumn deployments.

Portland arrived back in Devonport with a gun salute as well as plenty of waves from well-wishers at Devil's Point.

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The Type 23 frigate has spent the past few weeks in Norway receiving a weapons upgrade, followed by operations in UK waters.

While in Norway, she took on board eight naval strike missiles, becoming the second Royal Navy warship to be fitted with new weapons, which are capable of taking out enemy ships from more than 100 miles away.

The crew have also been training on their heavy machine guns and carrying out replenishment at sea.

HMS Portland's Merlin helicopter conducting training in the snow-capped mountains near Bergen in Norway 20122024 CREDIT RN — HMS Portland's Merlin helicopter conducting training in the snow-capped mountains near Bergen in Norway (Picture: Royal Navy)

HMS Iron Duke, meanwhile, arrived home in Portsmouth after her six-week deployment in Estonia.

In the Baltic, she worked with allies from Nato and the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) – the military alliance with a primary determination to maintain the security of northern Europe.

Iron Duke has spent more than 200 days away from home in 2024 and, following warfighting operational sea training, she carried out numerous tasks in UK waters.

These included the monitoring of Russian warships and submarines passing through the North Sea and English Channel to performing escort duties for HMS Prince of Wales as part of the UK Carrier Strike Group.

HMS Iron Duke lit up at night in Tallinn Naval Base CREDIT Estonian Armed Forces — HMS Iron Duke lit up at night in Tallinn Naval Base (Picture: Estonian Armed Forces)

Since mid-November, HMS Iron Duke had been in the Baltic, working with two Nato task groups around the Gulf of Bothnia and Finland for Exercise Freezing Winds.

During this, she also provided maritime security to Nato allies and picked up the experience of operating in the Baltic in the depths of winter.

While the crews of HMS Portland and HMS Iron Duke will be home for Christmas for a well-earned rest, others will be kept busy.

The Royal Navy is maintaining 21 Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels deployed or at short notice to respond over the festive period if required.