Montrose meets up with flagship Queen Mary 2

On glassy waters in the Gulf, HMS Montrose puts on a burst of speed as she crosses the wake of the world's largest passenger liner and flagship of the Cunard line, RMS Queen Mary 2.

The frigate encountered the 150,000-tonne ocean liner while conducting routine operations in the Gulf and the while the Queen Mary 2 was on the latest leg of a 113-day round-the-world cruise which began and will end in New York and will continued via the Gulf to Sri Lanka, and beyond.

Queen Mary 2 boasts 15 restaurants and bars, five swimming pools, a casino, ballroom, theatre, and the even a planetarium serving 2,700 passengers, whose needs are met by 1,300 crew.

She is two and a half times the length of Montrose but what the frigate lacks in swimming pools, casinos, ballrooms, and theatres... she more than makes up with a state-of-the-art helicopter capable of tracking around 200 contacts simultaneously, anti-ship and anti-air missiles, and a 4.5 inch naval gun, plus she bristles with cutting-edge sensors - all in the hands of around 200 sailors and Royal Marines.

Montrose is permanently deployed to the UK's Naval Support Facility in Bahrain and run by two crews – one aboard, one back in Britain enjoying leave/undergoing training – allowing the Royal Navy to maintain a forward presence in the Middle East, rather than repeatedly deploying/bringing home a frigate to and from the region.

It means the ships spend more time on operations promoting and protecting the UK's interests in the region and ensure freedom of navigation at sea.

And it allows sailors more settled home lives with more predictable routines and assured time at home with families and loved ones.