Royal Navy warships track five Russian vessels during first seven days of July
Royal Navy vessels, including frigate HMS Iron Duke and patrol ship HMS Duke, have shadowed five Russian vessels in UK waters over the first week of July.
The Plymouth and Portsmouth-based warships and 815 Naval Air Squadron's Wildcat aircraft were sent on three different operations in the North Sea and the English Channel between 1 and 8 July.
The Royal Navy worked closely with Nato allies as they watched the Russian activity, which involved two Steregushchiy-class corvettes, a tanker, a bulk carrier and a Smolnyy-class training ship passing through UK waters.
The continued monitoring of Moscow's vessels comes as allied nations took part in an exercise in Portland that aimed at helping Ukraine make the Black Sea safe.
Royal Navy divers and mine clearance experts participated in Exercise Sea Breeze, along with HMS Iron Duke, which has returned after planned maintenance in Devonport.
"This week's activity neatly highlights both our well-established interoperability with Nato allies and our strategic partnership with Ukraine, via our combined Mine Countermeasures capabilities on display during Exercise Sea Breeze," Commander David Armstrong, HMS Iron Duke's Commanding Officer, said.
"Protecting the sovereignty of the UK and our Nato allies is at the heart of the Royal Navy's mission, and we take great pride in the operational impact we make in ensuring the security of the UK's maritime domain.
"Being our 17th activation as Fleet Ready Escort in 12 months, I reflect on the professionalism, resilience and stoic sense of duty on constant display."
The first time, HMS Tyne and HMS Iron Duke monitored the Smolnyy-class training ship sailing west from the North Sea, through the English Channel to the northwest of France, before the surveillance changed over to a Nato ally.
HMS Tyne headed straight back out to the North Sea, where it followed the movements of Steregushchiy-class RFN Boikiy with a Russian tanker, General Skobelev, and bulk carrier, MV Sparta.
On the third occasion, Iron Duke and a Wildcat traced Boikiy, which had been previously tracked by HMS Duncan and HMS Duncan two weeks ago, until she reached the island of Ushant before handing over to another allied warship.
After a brief logistics stop in Portsmouth, HMS Iron Duke, the Duke-class frigate, was moved to intercept RFN Soobrazitelny and observed the Steregushchiy-class corvette as she made her way from the Eastern Mediterranean.
HMS Iron Duke had only recently got back out to sea after a three-month maintenance period that also included leave for her sailors following intensive patrols and operations in the UK, the Baltic Sea and Norway.
These operations are part of the Government's ongoing commitment to protect the integrity of UK waters and defend national security.
Related topics
Join Our Newsletter
