Type 23 Royal Navy frigate HMS St Albans has returned to base after an operational stint which saw her clock up more than enough nautical miles to circumnavigate the globe.
The warship has sailed almost 30,000 nautical miles on her latest deployment, which lasted just shy of 150 days, according to a recent Royal Navy press statement.
She has recently returned to her home port, HMNB Devonport in Plymouth, Devon, to allow her 200-strong crew some well-earned down-time.
The specialist anti-submarine warfare (ASW) vessel has been deployed since April both in home waters and farther afield, conducting operations in the North Atlantic, the Norwegian Sea, and the Arctic Ocean.
Her embarked Merlin helicopter has flown more than 160 hours of sorties, mostly connected with submarine-hunting but also including ferrying VIPs including the Norwegian Defence Minister.
To keep her stocked and fuelled the warship conducted ten replenishment-at-sea (RAS) operations during the course of her deployment, being serviced primarily by RFA Tideforce and also other U.K. and NATO tankers.
As they returned to home port the ship’s company were thanked in person by Major General Rich Cantrill RM, the U.K. Commander Maritime Operations, who joined HMS St Albans in Plymouth Sound.
The ship’s Commanding Officer Commander Matthew Teare commented: “The work we have done, often in rough weather conditions and challenging environments, has directly supported regional stability and reinforced NATO’s Northern Flank.”
He added: “The ship’s company have demonstrated an untiring commitment to the protection of the U.K. and her NATO allies and I’m immensely proud of all they have achieved.”
- You can read more details on the Royal Navy website