Royal Navy Tracks Russian Warships for Ten Days in UK Waters
Four Royal Navy ships recently got under way to track the movements of Russian convoys through the English Channel and the North Sea, a higher-than-usual operational tempo for Russian activity in UK home waters. The patrols follow recent news of a suspected Russian spy submarine operation in British waters, which the UK believes to have been targeted at subsea fiber-optic cables.
From March 29 through April 7, patrol ship HMS Mersey got under way three different times to track Russian Navy assets, including the frigate Admiral Grigorovich, the tank landing ship Aleksandr Shabalin and the attack sub Krasnodar, a Kilo-class diesel-electric submarine.
Meanwhile, the Type 23 frigate HMS Somerset accompanied the Russian destroyer Severomorsk and the fleet oiler Kama as they passed by Brittany and through the Channel. Frigate HMS St. Albans joined this mission, then Somerset departed for an extended submarine-tracking patrol in the North Atlantic.
that matters most
Get the latest maritime news delivered to your inbox daily.
"Our ability to provide a presence to monitor the Russian activity in UK water is no small feat especially with such an increase in activity over the last few months," said HMS Mersey XO Lt. George Hage in a statement. "We are very proud to be part of the Royal Navy’s commitment to the maritime security of the United Kingdom."
The Royal Navy's fleet is under pressure from crew shortages, underinvestment and aging platforms. The venerable Type 23 frigate class is the backbone of the surface fleet, and was commissioned in the 1990s and early 2000s; it has historically provided much of the lifting near UK home waters, but itis rapidly aging out of service. Seven remain in commission with the Royal Navy, down from the original order of 16; the survivors have completed a life-extension refit, and hull corrosion repairs are said to have factored into the extensive work for preservation.