HMS Somerset ship’s company were re-called to Devonport on Christmas day and sailed on 27th December to monitor Russian vessels close to the UK.
This is routine work for the Royal Navy but the timing was unfortunate for the sailors, having to leave family at short notice for operational tasking. Recently the RN has been involved in this type of operation with an increasing frequency.
The Russian Group comprised of the Corvette RFS Soobrazitelny and two merchant ships, MV Sparta II and MV General Skobelev. Somerset tracked the vessels for 500 miles as they passed through the southern North Sea and the English Channel on their way to the Mediterranean. They are thought to be part of the effort to evacuate personnel and military equipment from Syria following the collapse of the Assad regime that was friendly to Moscow.
In November HMS Iron Duke and RFA Tideforce shadowed the new frigate RFS Admiral Golovko with support ship Vyazma heading west, followed by frigate RFS Neustrashimy and her support tanker Akademik Pashin heading east. The seabed spy ship Yantar was also closely watched as she detoured over seabed infrastructure in the Irish Sea.
In mid-December HMS Portland monitored another group of Russian ships in the Channel which was escorted part of the way by the RFS Soobrazitelny. The merchant ship Ursa Major (Sister to the MV Sparta II) was making the long trip westbound from the Baltic to Vladivostok, with two mobile harbour cranes on board. She subsequently sank in the Mediterranean after suffering an engine explosion. This was likely caused by poor maintenance practices as Russian vessels are increasingly no longer meeting international certification standards.
Some thought it was likely HMS Somerset had been sent to the Baltic Sea but the MoD says no RN warship has deployed to the region (at least for now). This follows a series of undersea infrastructure sabotage incidents and requests from Finland and Estonia for JEF/NATO support.
Why did they have to leave there families at short notice. They should be ships already with crews ready all times that’s what happens when you get ride of two amphibious ships this government should give the armed forces personnel anything they need rest of nato partners are putting up there armed forces but british is doing the opposite. Get a grip government stop the £22 billon pounds of foreign aid every year and give to the armed forces for better pay and equipment the need to do there job before its to late
Sad sign of the times.
You seem a bit confused on how the RN works, they were the on call ship, and we all know the risks over this period. So rather than moaning about something that you can’t change and just support your armed forces that are sacrificing time with their families to protect our shores it’s not hard shippers. Boils my piss comments like yours.
Go man! I support you 100%.
Well said.too many people commenting on things they know very little about….use your hand to salute not cover your eyes…..
Actually he isn’t far off if you add climate aid to the 15.4 billion at 3.1 and the odd hundred million here fifty million there that they throw around like confetti and you’ve got real money as they say.
Poor political choices created the batch one type 42 and other cock ups over the years that sometimes cost lives.
Shadow crew pier-head jumps and xmas patrols are just part of the job loosing shipmates due to poor political choices should not be.
It sucks but it’s the job. I wasnt in the navy but I once received a phone call, while on leave, at 2300hrs, Christmas eve telling me that there will be an aircraft waiting for me at 6am, Christmas day. Ended up somewhere with no way to call home for 3 weeks (was going to be 3 days originally). Sucked, but no choice, we just put up with it. Food was pretty good.
I spent two Christmas’s in a row at sea in the 70’s. I didn’t like it, but that was life in the navy.
They knew they were on notice to be recalled. There is always a ship available for what is known as Fleet Ready Escort. On this occasion, that ship happened to be HMS Somerset. Russian ships were about to come through the Channel, (they will come again) so the recall went out, and Somerset was ordered to sail. This is entirely normal, and routine, but unfortunate that it happened at Christmas. But that’s what you sign up for when you join the Royal Navy. You go where you are sent. Matelots and their Families accept this and get on with it.
Don’t forget Duty TAPS (Towed Array Patrol Ship for those that don’t know), been activated for that at short notice a few times before, as well as for FRE.
Nope, I never forget TAPS..
There is not 22 Billion in foreign aid
How it works is sometimes when a ship comes to port no crew is on board for days or weeks. This could be for multiple reasons such as crew rest, maintenance or upgrades. Also these older ships require more maintenance and regular checks and replacements so a ship being at port for up to a month or more is not uncommon.
No such thing as no crew on an RN ship unless it is laid up at the buoys (and they are awaiting disposal and ‘locked up’). There is always a duty watch on board a ship if it’s alongside/at anchor or in dry dock.
Even then the duty bod at DILSUP has the keys and responsibility for them, not sure who does the job now.
Oscar, there is always a crew onboard a Royal Navy Ship. Even when the crew go on leave. It’s called Duty Watch. This keeps a small amount of Ship’s Company onboard, keeping things ticking over and keeping the Ship safe. These Sailors take their leave either before or after the actual ‘Leave’ period. It’s called advance leave or retard leave.
You are completely wrong about the comments on the Albions. One of which hasn’t sailed in years, and the other which was in refit anyway before being chopped. Plus they’re poor ships for an escort job too.
As for the foreign aid. Words fail me. The money is often used to great benefit to drive deals for the UK, and to handle issues which prevent even more people attempting to get to the UK. But people always want to concentrate on the small amounts that create a ‘story’.
Thanks for that. The actual foreign aid budget is far lower and due to Treasury ‘sleight of hand’ the largest single part is spent in Britain housing refugees
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9663/
Actually he isn’t far off if you add climate aid to the 15.4 billion at 3.1 and the odd hundred million here fifty million there that they throw around like confetti and you’ve got real money as they say.
Refugees/migrants/illegals whatever foreigners by definition therefore it is foreign aid.
Climate Aid is not foreign aid, it’s for our benefit to enable others to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Its just another fiddle
‘The UK government redefined existing funds as “climate finance” to meet its climate-aid targets without providing as much new money. This includes relabeling money for humanitarian work in countries like Afghanistan, Yemen, and Somalia as climate finance.’
even then ‘climate aid is only 1.8 bill
Hahah. “emissions” is what greens the earth.
We need to find a balance. A worst chase scenario for climate change will see our military come into the fore again. Both are issues, both deserve funding.
It is impossible to prove.
A 1539-1540 huge European drought today will be said to be “Global Warming”. That is not science.
Nope it just another waste of money and for Duker it is 6.2 billion between this year and next I was being conservative with my figures
(a) You clearly don’t know what the Fleet Ready Escort role is the RN’s equivalent of the RAF QRA. Somerset was fulfilling that role, so the crew all knew if an escort was required to put to sea then they were the ones who would go.
(b) The foreign aid budget is not £22bn, in 2024 it was £13.7bn. Of that, over a quarter doesn’t go abroad but is spent on refugees and asylum seekers that arrive in the U.K.
Despite your use of an Anglo-Saxon name it’s pretty obvious from all the grammatical errors that you’re a foreign troll.
Reassuringly equipped with NSM. 😉
Life in a blue suit – we serve and accept our task – DSMSMR —- happy new year shipmates
Thanks to those who serve and keep the sea as secure as possible from the usual aggressors. Safe passage, 2025.
How sad that UM sank, environmentally.
Never mind..
I’m amazed nobody else commented on the port anchor in both shots?
“One hung low”.
There is no port anchor. It is centreline and starboard.