Royal Navy: Vigilant HMS Dragon stalks Russian spy ship as Portsmouth vessels guard "freedom of the seas"
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Eagle-eyed Royal Navy sailors stalked a Russian spy ship that was seen loitering in their vicinity.
Portsmouth-based warship HMS Dragon monitored Putin’s intelligence gathering vessel Yuri Ivanov near the Outer Hebrides. The Type 45 destroyer was in the area after completing the Nato operation Exercise Formidable Shield - flexing her firepower by destroying a supersonic missile.
Her Merlin helicopter was launched to collect information from the skies until Yuri Ivanov headed north towards the Arctic. This Ivanov-class intelligence has many systems which was autonomous, and is primarily equipped with light anti-aircraft weapons.
Further Russian presence in the English Channel
Royal Navy assets were once again deployed to monitor Moscow’s ships in the Channel. HMS Ledbury, HMS Hurworth and 814 Naval Air Squadron were activated to shadow RFN Stoikiy, which was sailing west to meet wo merchant vessels, Sparta IV and General Skobelev - returning from the Mediterranean.
The Steregushchiy-class corvette escorted the two cargo ships eastbound. HMS Hurworth, a Portsmouth-based Hunt-class mine hunter, watched every move of the Russian group as they headed towards the Baltic. Commanding Officer Lieutenant Commander James Bradshaw gave his thoughts on the operation.
He said: “Monitoring activity on the seas and seabed around the UK is one of the core roles of the Royal Navy’s second Mine-Countermeasures Squadron. This operation was all in a day’s work for the ship’s company who have shown great professionalism. We have kept a constant watch to ensure the security and integrity of the UK’s critical sea-lanes.”
HMS Ledbury met Stoikiy late on May 18, monitoring the Russian warship through the Dover Strait during its westbound journey. HMS Hurworth took over the following day off Brighton. Hurworth kept watch as Stoikiy met the two merchant vessels south-west of Land’s End, with the minehunter then tracking the group eastbound through the Channel and into the North Sea until the operation ended on the afternoon of May 22.
During the eastbound transit, a Merlin Mk2 from 814 Naval Air Squadron kept track of the Russian group alongside Nato aircraft and warships. HMS Ledbury’s Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander Craig Clark, said: “Escorting Russian vessels through UK waters is a vital demonstration of our unwavering commitment to national security.
“While the Hunt-class is uniquely equipped for mine and sea-bed warfare, maritime security remains a crucial task that any Royal Navy warship is trained to undertake.”
Able Seaman Mine Warfare Wayne Slater, from HMS Hurworth, said: “Driving the ship close to the Russian vessels has been a new experience for me as a helmsman. Everything has been safe and professional but we’re all trained to make sure we can respond to any aggression or incident whenever non-allied warships are operating near UK waters.”
Lieutenant Patrick Bingham, Gunnery Officer from HMS Hurworth, added: “As a former merchant navy officer, I know how important freedom of the seas is to the lifeline of goods and raw materials upon which our economy depends. The Royal Navy has been a guardian of the freedom of the seas for centuries and I am privileged to have contributed to this mission.”