Royal Navy Tracks Russian Destroyer Through the English Channel

 

The Royal Navy has tracked a Russian destroyer and two accompanying vessels through the English Channel, its latest mission to keep an eye on Russia's frequent naval movements in British waters.

The mission began when patrol ship HMS Trent picked up the trail of the Russian destroyer Vice Admiral Kulakov off Great Yarmouth. On August 10, Trent was seen following Kulakov westbound through the English Channel, bracketed by a steady stream of "shadow fleet" tankers. Ship spotter Dover Strait Shipping identified more than a dozen Russia-linked tankers passing through during a 24-hour time period around Kulakov's transit. 

Clockwise from upper left: Skobelev, Sparta, Vice Admiral Kulakov, HMS Trent (Royal Navy)

Kulakov continued onward to waters off Ushant, where the destroyer met up with the Russian military ro/ro cargo ship Sparta, a well-known and heavily-sanctioned vessel. AIS data suggests that Sparta was on a return voyage from the former Russian naval base at Tartus, where Russian forces have been demobilizing equipment. The tanker General Skobelev - often used by Russian forces as a fleet oiler - was sailing with Sparta and joined the convoy. Together, they turned and headed eastbound to go back through the channel. After a brief pause in Lyme Bay, off Britain's southern coast, they made the transit into the North Sea, then north to the Kattegat and into the Baltic. 

Sparta (green) and General Skobelev (red) on the long voyage from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Baltic (Pole Star)

HMS Trent followed Kulakov throughout the round-trip voyage through the English Channel, according to the Royal Navy, as is standard practice when Russian warships transit UK waters. 

Vice Admiral Kulakov is an Udaloy-class antisubmarine warfare destroyer, built to challenge the U.S. Navy's sub fleet in the late years of the Cold War. She was commissioned in 1981, entered a refit period in 1991, and returned to active duty 19 years later. A dedicated antisubmarine warfare platform, Kulakov carries a missile-launched torpedo system as her primary weapon, not a purpose-built anti-ship missile system.