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Frigates come in from the cold for Christmas as HMS Portland and Iron Duke complete autumn deployments

HMS Iron Duke follows tanker and flagship HNoMS Maud
20 December 2024
The last Royal Navy warships to return home from overseas in time for Christmas enter Portsmouth and Plymouth today.

Sister ships HMS Portland and Iron Duke bring the curtain down on a busy 2024, coming in from the cold in both instances.

Portland, which arrived home in Devon this morning to a gun salute as well as waves from well-wishers at Devil’s Point, has spent the past few weeks in Norway receiving a weapons upgrade, followed by operations in home waters.

HMS Iron Duke sails into Portsmouth this afternoon after hot-footing from Estonia – she only left on Tuesday evening – having completed a six-week ‘mini-deployment’ to the Baltic working with allies from NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Force – Baltic/Scandinavian and northern European nations committed to regional security.

The frigate has spent over two hundred days away from home this year, and following warfighting operational sea training performed a myriad of tasks in UK waters from keeping an eye on Russian warships and submarines passing through the North Sea/English Channel – Iron Duke has been activated 11 times for such missions this year – to performing escort duties for HMS Prince of Wales as part of the UK’s Carrier Strike Group.

Since mid-November she’s been working in the Baltic, working with two NATO task groups (one for minehunters, the second for larger vessels such as Iron Duke) around the Gulf of Bothnia/Finland for Exercise Freezing Winds, helping the alliance’s newest members Finland and Sweden integrate – while providing maritime security to our NATO allies and picking up experience of operating in the Baltic in the depths of winter.

Before leaving the Baltic to return to her home port, the ship welcomed Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on board in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, after the 2024 JEF Summit, who shared a festive minced pie with the Ship’s Company.

Elsewhere in 2024, Iron Duke has visited Latvia’s capital Riga – marking the country’s independence day celebrations – Hamburg, Belfast and Jersey (the Channel Island is one of the ship’s two affiliated places in the UK, the other is Hull).

“2024 has been a very busy year for the ship, completing our generation period with Operational Sea Training and returning to front-line operations, culminating with a period in the Baltic working closely with our NATO allies and hosting a visit from the Prime Minister himself,” said Lieutenant Commander Chris Carnie, Iron Duke’s Logistics Officer.

“From Sea Ceptor to sausages, personnel from every Department onboard have played their part in Iron Duke’s success and they now return home for a well-deserved Christmas break with their loved ones.”

Iron Duke’s Commanding Officer Commander David Armstrong added:

“I reflect on an exceptionally busy and rewarding year for the ship; I am immensely proud of my ship’s company who have delivered everything asked of them with professionalism and a smile!

“Our key focus across all of the year’s activity has been National defence and resilience – playing our part in securing the UK’s territorial seas, critical undersea infrastructure and protecting NATO’s maritime flank.

“As I send the ship’s company home for a well-earned festive rest, from the bottom of my heart, I thank their families and loved ones; without whose support none of this would be possible.”

The Royal Navy is maintaining 21 Royal Navy/Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels deployed or at short notice to respond over the festive period if required.

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