RN vessels have again been activated in the last two weeks to monitor increased Russian naval activity close to the UK.
Type 23 frigate, HMS St Albans was tasked to shadow the Russian frigate RFS Admiral Golovko as she sailed eastbound through the Channel following operations in the Mediterranean. HMS St Albans launched a Merlin helicopter to collect intelligence from the air before handing over escort duties to NATO allies further east.
Russian media confirmed that the Admiral Golovko had completed her long-range deployment to the Mediterranean, having participated in the bilateral ‘Friendship Sea’ exercise with Egypt. The frigate sailed from Severodvinsk on 2nd November 2024.
Meanwhile, patrol vessel HMS Mersey tracked the corvette RFS Soobrazitelny heading westward, supported by the RFA Tidesurge. The Russian tanker MV Kola, supporting the corvette, was also monitored as part of a coordinated operation involving the Joint Maritime Security Centre. The Soobrazitelny and Kola have now entered the Mediterranean as Russia struggles to maintain a small naval presence in the region following their withdrawal from Syria. Major NATO exercise Neptune Strike is underway in the Mediterranean area with the UK Carrier Strike group set to participate very soon.
RFA Tidesurge arrives off Plymouth on 22nd April following visits to Brest and operations monitoring Russian vessels. RFA Tideforce outbound beyond (Photo: Tom Leach).
This was the second activation for HMS St Albans in April, having recently tracked the Steregushchiy-class corvette RFS Stoikiy during a three-day operation. St Albans is also assigned to Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) while balancing this with Fleet Ready Escort Duties after taking over from HMS Somerset. SNMG duties and monitoring Russian activity are, of course, all part of the same wider mission but double-hatting emphasises the lack of depth, never mind an alternative frigate available for TAPS duties. OPVs and Tankers can help spread the load but the reality is that a single active frigate must cover UK, Atlantic and northern European waters.
At the time of writing, St Albans is the only active Type 23 frigate available with HMS Richmond’s departure on the CSG25 deployment and HMS Lancaster in the Gulf region. The other five frigates are in various stages of post-deployment maintenance or upkeep. Of the active destroyers HMS Dauntless is allocated to CSG25 while HMS Dragon is preparing to participate in the major air defence At Sea Demonstration / exercise Formidable Shield (ASD/FS25) which begins on 5th May off north west Scotland.