Endured temperatures as high as 55° Celsius.Has been away from the UK for 1,478 days (since 29 October 2018), more than 1,350 of them in the Gulf region.Conducted 378 days of security patrols of the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean – an area eight times the size of the North Sea – working with the international Combined Maritime Forces.Seized illegal shipments of surface-to-air missiles and cruise missile engines – a first for the Royal Navy. Destroyed 16 tonnes of illegal narcotics in more than 10 busts, denying criminal/terrorist groups proceeds worth at least £80m.Passed through the choke points of the Strait of Hormuz 111 and Bab al Mandeb six times, safely accompanying 132 merchant ships.Sailed 134,389 nautical miles (19.5 times around the globe or two-thirds of the distance from the Earth to the Moon).A drugs haul is laid out on HMS Montrose's flight deck (Picture: Royal Navy/ MOD). Upon her return to Devonport next month, HMS Montrose will undergo maintenance before a final spell of operational duties around the UK early in 2023 and a 'farewell tour' – including a visit to her namesake Scottish town – before the ship is formally decommissioned in the spring after 29 years of active service. "HMS Lancaster has some serious boots to fill as the next frigate deployed to the region," he added. Lieutenant Joe Stutchbury, who commands the ship's Royal Marines detachment, said the time aboard Montrose had been a "unique experience" for his commandos, who had been at the forefront of a string of drug seizures. To sustain Montrose in the Gulf environment, maintenance work has been carried out at local shipyards – including the new port of Duqm, Oman, where Montrose and Lancaster traded places.Įvery four months the entire crew of sailors, Royal Marines and aviators are swapped like-for-like with a second crew from the UK, with many of the HMS Lancaster crew having previously served in the Gulf aboard Montrose.
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