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Royal Navy frigates return to Portsmouth

A History and Honour news article

28 Jul 11

Sister ships HMS Iron Duke and HMS Richmond returned home to Portsmouth 28 July 2011, where they were met by cheering crowds of families and friends, having spent more than six months at sea.

Royal Navy frigates HMS Iron Duke and HMS Richmond sail in to Portsmouth on 28 July 2011
[Picture: Leading Airman (Photographer) Gary Weatherston, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]

HMS Iron Duke has spent almost seven months east of the Suez Canal, and finished her deployment supporting operations in Libya, where she used her firepower to destroy a gun battery outside the besieged town of Misurata. She also supported NATO aircraft by firing star shells into the sky, illuminating for them Gaddafi forces' rocket launchers, fuel dumps, ammo stores, artillery batteries and command and control centres.

Before her Libya tasking, HMS Iron Duke had covered nearly 38,000 nautical miles, visiting eight countries, and working directly with more than 250 vessels from countries across the world.

Iron Duke's primary role after leaving Portsmouth in January was on Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR – working with international navies to combat smuggling and human trafficking in support of counter-terrorism....

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