Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Defender returned to HM Naval Base Portsmouth on March 20, concluding a 222-day deployment.
Her crew of 270 and embarked helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron safely accompanied 38 British-flagged tankers and cargo ships in the Middle East and made two significant drug seizures.
The ship returned to an almost empty harbor since the homecoming ceremony was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
HMS Defender’s commanding officer, Commander Richard Hewitt, said: “While disappointing not to see our families on the jetty as we return to Portsmouth, we understand the situation and we are extremely grateful for all the support our families have provided while we have been deployed. We could not do it without them and are looking forward to spending some quality time with them now we have returned.”
Instead of a six-month patrol of the Far East as originally planned, the destroyer was diverted to the Middle East last summer to join other Royal Navy vessels accompanying British merchant shipping into and out of the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz.
She sailed the narrow waters at the gateway to the Gulf 28 times, accompanying 1.6m tonnes of cargo on those 38 ships – cargo vital to UK trade and economy.
HMS Defender also supported international security missions: Operation Sentinel, the global response to the threat to shipping in the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and Combined Task Force 150 which attempts to curb terrorist and smuggling activities in the Indian Ocean.
In quieter times, the destroyer worked with the Indian Navy, initially in the English Channel for annual Anglo-Indian exercise Konkan at the start of her deployment, then later with a visit to their base in Goa.
