Engaged Royal Navy vessels scrambled from Portsmouth to stalk Russian warships sailing in British waters

Type 23 frigate HMS Iron Duke left Portsmouth unannounced on the first week of July after several of Putin’s ships were seen in the North Sea and English Channel. Portsmouth-based patrol vessel HMS Tyne and Wildcat aircraft from 815 Naval Air Squadron were also dispatched on three separate occasions between July 1 and today (July 8).

Nato allies joined the Royal Navy group for their mission. They kept a constant eye on Moscow’s ships, which included two Steregushchiy-class corvettes, a tanker, bulk carrier and a Smolnyy-class training ship. This took place during a significant exercise in Portland aimed at helping Ukraine make the Black Sea safe.

Divers were taking part in Exercise Sea Breeze alongside HMS Iron Duke. Commanding Officer Commander David Armstrong said this was the ship’s 17th activation as a Fleet Ready Escort in 12 months. He added that this reflects on the professionalism, resilience, and stoic sense of duty on display by the ship’s company.

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He added: “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. 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.”

The first activation saw HMS Tyne and HMS Iron Duke track the Smolnyy-class training ship heading west from the North Sea. it then heads through the English Channel to the northwest of France, the situation was handed over to Nato. Immediately re-tasked to head back to the North Sea, HMS Tyne reported on the movements of Steregushchiy-class RFN Boikiy with a Russian tanker, General Skobelev, and bulk carrier, MV Sparta.

HMS Iron Duke and a Wildcat tracked Boikiy – last monitored just two weeks ago by HMS Duncan and HMS Mersey – and the accompanying vessels until they reached the island of Ushant at the southwestern end of the Channel on the French coast. A brief logistics stop followed in Portsmouth before she sprang back into action.

The frigate was tasked with intercepting RFN Soobrazitelny, and to closely monitor the Steregushchiy-class corvette as she made her way back from the Eastern Mediterranean. The ship headed through the Channel and into the North Sea, heading towards a Russian Baltic port.