WATCH: Royal Navy warship HMS Medway sails home to Portsmouth after refit and spending years away

HMS Medway sailed past The Round Tower in Old Portsmouth at roughly 4.30pm this afternoon (August 15). The River-class offshore patrol vessel travelled through blustery conditions alongside HMS Ranger.

Sailors have been carrying out post refit trials in Gibraltar before the return to HMNB Portsmouth. A Royal Navy spokeswoman said: “HMS Medway is completing her planned maintenance in the UK. The fleet’s programme remains flexible, undergoing periods of maintenance is routine and vital for a ship’s continued effectiveness.”

HMS Medway has primarily spent her time conducting patrols and anti drug smuggling operations in the Caribbean. For much of 2023, she spent her time deployed alongside The Falkland Islands - replacing HMS Forth due to undergoing maintenance at the time.

The Portsmouth-based ship patrolled the South Atlantic for nine months and racked up 16,500 nautical miles. This is the equivalent of sailing three quarters of the way around the globe. After undergoing engineering work, HMS Medway spent much of her time in Gibraltar. As previously reported in The News, sailors aboard HMS Medway ran into complications during trials in July 28. Naval analysis website Navy Lookout reported that she was towed back to the shores of Gibraltar due to a fault.