Stunning images show Royal Navy's 'greenest' warship mingling with dolphins during sea trials
THESE curious dolphins have discovered a new friend at sea - in the shape of the Royal Navy’s latest hi-tech patrol ship.
The friendly pod of dolphins were snapped chasing HMS Tamar through the water of Weymouth Bay on Monday evening, with the fierce colours of a setting sun on the horizon.
Portsmouth-based Tamar – touted by the navy as the Senior Service’s greenest vessel since the age of sail – is currently on her latest set of sea trials and shared the images on the ship’s official Twitter today.
The stunning shots were revealed on the eve of Tamar’s next milestone on her journey into active naval service.
The vessel is tomorrow expected to raise the White Ensign for the first time during a ceremony at Plymouth’s Devonport Naval Base.
It comes after the 2,000-tonne warship made her debut at her home port of Portsmouth in April, earlier than anticipated, with the navy saying at the time her commissioning into naval service would take place later in the year.
She is the fourth of five new offshore patrol vessels (OPV) to have sailed into her home city after being pieced together in a shipyard in Glasgow.
Speaking at the time, Tamar’s skipper Lieutenant Commander Mike Hutchinson said the arrival was a ‘great achievement’ for the navy and defence contractors, BAE Systems.
He added: ‘While many of our colleagues across the armed forces are already supporting the NHS during the immediate Covid-19 response, our current focus is on bringing Tamar to readiness so that the Royal Navy’s mission to protect our long-term national interests at home and overseas continues.’
The ship is the first of her class to have a urea filter installed which will reduce damaging diesel exhaust emissions by about 90 per cent.
Lt Cdr Hutchinson oversaw the evolution of Tamar, taking just four weeks from moving the ship’s staff on board to sailing from Glasgow - a pace unseen in peacetime.
HMS Tamar’s other sisters are already taking on vital maritime security work, with HMS Forth patrolling the Falkland Islands and HMS Medway in the Caribbean.
Meanwhile, HMS Trent, the third new class of OPV is continuing her work up towards her first operational mission following her arrival in Portsmouth in December.