The Royal Navy’s Caribbean-based patrol vessel HMS Medway has conducted live gunnery exercises in equatorial waters while crossing the Line, marking a traditional milestone for sailors and a routine test of the ship’s weapon readiness.
HMS Medway’s crew released footage and images on social media showing the 30mm DS30B cannon firing during what the ship described as “professional, prepared, and always ready” training. The offshore patrol vessel, normally stationed in the Caribbean for counter-narcotics missions and disaster response, remained in the region after this year’s hurricane season before transiting south.
Nothing like the sound of the 30mm. 🔥
HMS MEDWAY conducted live-firing in equatorial waters
Professional, prepared, and always ready. ⚓️#RoyalNavy #RN #gunneryisfunnery #ForwardDeployed pic.twitter.com/DPsH1n9Lod— HMS Medway (@HMS_Medway) December 7, 2025
The ship also held the long-standing naval ceremony of Crossing the Line, overseen by the character of King Neptune, where “first-timers paid tribute and earned their Shellback status,” the ship said. The event is a rite of passage for sailors who cross the Equator for the first time.
Routine firing of the 30mm system allows crews to practise against simulated threats such as fast craft, drones and small surface targets, ensuring rapid response in the event of real-world incidents.
HMS Medway, a 2,000-tonne Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessel, carries a crew of around 40 and is equipped with a 30mm cannon, Browning .50 calibre heavy machine guns and advanced navigation radars. Regular gunnery training is central to forward-deployed patrol ships, which operate far from UK support and often at short notice in hurricane zones or during regional security missions. HMS Medway was relieved this autumn on its primary Caribbean tasking by HMS Trent, but has continued operations in the wider region before heading south through equatorial waters.
