HMS Diamond has returned to Portsmouth after a two month deployment in the Mediterranean.

The Royal Navy say in a release that her deployment was part of the ongoing counter-Islamic State operations where she used her sensors to gather intelligence on the air battlespace, sharing this with the RAF and international allies in the region.

Commanding Officer of HMS Diamond Commander Ben Keith said:

“This has been a challenging, but extremely rewarding and successful deployment. I’m proud of all that my ship’s company has achieved while we’ve been away and I’m incredibly grateful to Diamond’s extended family for all their support.”

The Royal Navy say that HMS Diamond also proved her ability to integrate with the UK Air Component Commander (UKACC) by working with the RAF assets based in Cyprus.

“Training with E3s, Voyagers, Tornados, Typhoons and F-16s, Diamond practiced controlling a congested environment, observing and directing a variety of aircraft while operating with other UK Forces.

During her time in the Med, Diamond also spent a week on weapons and sensors training. She held live firing exercises with the 4.5″ Gun, the 30mm, Phalanx and small arms, using her embarked Wildcat Helicopter from 815 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton – callsign Roughcut – to observe and direct the firings onto the targets with impressive accuracy.”

George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison

27 COMMENTS

  1. Isnt it strange that HMS Diamond returns home to her base after a two month deployment (BTW i have spent longer than that on one wave ) and yet there was no mention on here at all about HMS Albion (which btw spent ten months away )
    Oh i know its becouse Diamond is based at your beloved Portsmouth and Albion is Devonport based

  2. Speaking of a ship’s homeport. This ship is looking for a home – one of only 2 operational Liberty ships left thanks to a crew of verteran’s. How sad is this? Wish I had crazy oligarch money. I’d buy an old pier, renovate, and place the operational and upkeep expenses in trust with a reliable executor to provide 10 years to get them self sufficient.

    https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2018/11/25/baltimores-wwii-era-liberty-ship-could-be-homeless-soon/

    Cheers!

    • We have a poor record of preserving ships in the UK.

      Poor old Plymouth went for a song because a home couldn’t be found for her.

      I often wonder whether the jetty used by Warrior was ever explored as an option for her?

      • It’s a dam crime! We have no battleships in the uk to visit! I bet it would become a top atraction just like a good old British aircraft carrier! But no the government won’t help to fund a project that can then be taken up to help by ex millitary personel volunteers and then it can also help ex millitary personel..and turn it into a tourist hot spot and places schools can take kids to learn about war ect!! We have nothing in the uk! Apart from a few small ships and Hms Belfast a light cruiser!..oh and old sailing ships!

        We should have atleast preserved Hms Hermes the Indians are selling her for only a few million! It was an old girl that helped win the falklands!. It was tried to get her home but the fundraising wasn’t good enough and it didn’t get the publicity it needed! But maybe we still have a chance to bring her home, we only need to raise a couple million! And just a small part of that to get bigger sponsors that are willing to help but it has to be supported by the British public! We should start a new campaign to bring her home and turn her into a museum and maybe a hotel ect or both and a heli port or many things that can make it pay its own way after initial support….HMS Hermes deserves it…

        • IMHO HMS Warspite richly deserved to be saved as a RN memorial to 2 world wars. She was in such bad shape that damage on her at the end was repaired with concrete instead of steel. She didn’t deserve to meet her end grounded on a lonely isle. She should be parked in the Thames where the Belfast is.

          In the U.S., Enterprise CV 6 was the iconic ship of the USN and she was scrapped because they wouldn’t raise a couple of million to save her. USS Washington BB56 was another. Saved the entire U.S. Navy fighting on her own against a Japanese task group off Guadalcanal when her escort the South Dakota was rendered helpless by an electrical reset and her destroyer screen was sunk. “Give em Hell Washington!!!” was heard from those tincan survivors in the water as the battlewagon went forward to engage the IJN by herself. The old Saratoga was another. Blasted at Bikini.

          We are a short sighted lot as a species unfortunately…

          Cheers.

          • Hellions, Warspite for me too. It’s a National Travesty that this Nation has Scrapped all the Iconic Heroes of the Seas. Take a look at all the RAF and Army Museums ( which I’m really grateful for ) then take a look at the few places to visit our Glorious Royal Navy Ships. Portsmouth is fantastic and Warrior Is Amazing, Victory too but Where are all the Ships from 2 World Wars and many other historical events ? Imagine being able to visit HMS Rodney. HMS Ajax, HMS Queen Elizabeth, HMS Leander, HMS Vanguard, HMS Amethyst, the list Is long yet we have so few. Shame.

          • Would LOVED to have seen the Rodney- very unique class – very heavy firepower too. Actually still had her torpedo tubes which I understand she used to TORPEDO the Bismark. The QE I would have been another fine choice along with the KGV. HMS Iron Duke of Jutland fame would have been a good one to have preserved from that War. At least you still have the Caroline.

            The only super dreadnought left is the USS Texas in Galveston. Served in the RN’s 6th Battle Squadron Grand Fleet in Scapa Flow during WWI along with other coal burning USN battlewagons since that was predominately what the RN used as fuel. She even escorted the High Seas Fleet to its surrender.

            On a personal note, my father was a little deaf in his left ear to the end of his days because as a young U.S. Marine circling in his Amtrac waiting to go ashore on Okinawa they passed repeatedly under the blast effects of the ship as she fired her main batteries in support of the landing. She’s in rough shape though and needs a thorough overhaul to keep her afloat. They may need to dry-dock her permanently otherwise. Same with the USS Alabama in Mobile.

            Cheers!

          • Helions
            One correction BB-35 Texas is in La Porte (Houston side of the bay) in the ship channel at San Jacinto Battleground Park.
            Galveston does have Seawolf Park though that has the a Gato class submarine USS Cavalla (SS-244) she was the boat that sank the carrier Shōkaku. They also have the escort DE-238 USS Stewart. Along with pieces of other boats.

          • Helions,

            Not sure what you would consider super dreadnoughts, but the last 4 battleships built for the US Navy, the Iowa Class are still preserved as Museum ships. They were the longest serving battleships of any Navy. They served not only in WW2, but in all major US Navy actions all the up to when they were finally deactivated in the early 1990’s. Even then, they were maintained on the Reserve List until finally being decommissioned around 2006.

            BB-61, USS Iowa is located in Los Angeles CA.

            BB-62, USS New Jersey is located in Camden NJ

            BB-63, USS Missouri is located in Pearl Harbor HI

            BB-64, USS Wisconsin is located in Norfolk VA

            Great places to visit and get your fast battleship “Fix” on.

          • Elliot,

            I stand corrected. I was thinking the ship was berthed in the Galveston Ship Channel – but it’s Houston. I tried to post this link yesterday but the PTB would not let me. Hopefully third times a charm.

            https://battleshiptexas.org/about/

            Rokuth,

            when I refer to a superdreadnought it’s in reference to the classes of improved battleships which were built immediately preceding and during WWI by all sides. Examples would be the U.S. New York class exemplified by the Texas, the Queen Elizabeth class built for the RN, the Tegetthoff class bult for the Austro Hungarian K.u.K Kriegsmarine, and the Bayern class built for the German Kriegsmarine. They were all large scale improvements on the original HMS Dreadnought of the RN. These ships are typically referred to as “super dreadnoughts” due to these improvements in size, armor, and armament.

            The USN Iowa class were the final development in a distinct class of American “Fast battleships” which began with the North Carolina BB55 class and then preceded through the short hull South Dakota class BB57 culminating in the Iowa class. The stretched 4 turret Montana class was never built which would have been the largest USN BBs ever.

            On a personal note, I had the pleasure of serving on the USS Missouri’s volunteer engineering crew when she arrived at Pearl Harbor (Ford Island) as a museum ship and luckily had the run of that ship from the highest to lowest levels and you’re right, it IS an amazing class of ships that we’ll never see again. We’re lucky we’ve managed to save them and some of their sisters…

            Cheers!

          • Helions,

            Appreciate the clarification. I regret I haven’t had the chance to visit any of those ships. It is great that these old war wagons have been preserved.

            It is interesting to note that the “Capital” or Battleship names of US Navy ships have been passed on to the SSBN fleet. Gives you an idea of what the USN now considers the “big guns” of the Navy.

          • It’s always been my contention that submarines will eventually replace most line surface warships as AI technology, sensing, and targeting systems reach a point where it would be suicidal to use large warships within reach of the enemy. Indeed the subsurface force is becoming more at risk as well due to the same developments.

            Interesting note, the Virginia Payload Modules being installed in the newest blocks of the Virginia class will not only have the capability to fire a variety of missiles, but also will be able to launch drones for various missions. So, in fact, submarines are also becoming aircraft carriers as envisioned and built by various navies as far back as the 1920s.

            The naming conventions will have to change as we get further along building the Virginia class and with the current Ohio class still being in the fleet for almost 2 decades more. They are going to reach a point where there are no state or territory names left! I’d like to see some of the traditional old names of famous WWII boats named after fish return. The Tang commanded by Richard “Killer” Kane or Mush Morton’s Wahoo immediately come to mind.

            If you ever have a chance, visit an old battlewagon They truly are marvels of shipbuilding that we couldn’t replicate today for the price of any GRF class carrier. The technology just to weld armor in layers no longer exists…

            Cheers!

  3. I think we should save one of the vanguard nuclear armed submarines for future generations (not armed though lol) or maybe yes ?.. Anyway it would look great right across from a Hms Belfast…. it would be a huge tourist hot spot, only a few nations have these amazing weapons systems and we are luckily one of them and we could do it… London is tourist central and it would be a first to see such a submarine for many people…. Let’s start a campaign, once they are gone that’s it! In 100 years people will ask why not!…

    • I agree about saving a Nuclear Sub, just like France has ( great to visit btw ) but can we not stick It in London ? It’s a nightmare to get to, full of Triffic Wardens and congestion Charges and quite frankly, They have enough stuff already. Place It at Barrow instead.

  4. As Seaceptor can be quad packed into the VLS on a T45 why not turn 18 silo’s over to this (72 Seaceptor) and then 30 VLS to the Aster 30. We can upgrade our Aster15s to the NT booster etc and this would ensure that a T45 has enough munitions to deal with a saturation attack.

    48 Silos is enough for air defence, if the right munitions are put in them in the right quantities, sadly 48 missiles is no longer enough. Adding Mk41 should be a no brainer in my opinion and is a poor decision. Not sure how the UK expects any T45 to sink a peer ship.. and with its engines and size it can’t run away…. so really its a sitting duck if it came to it.

  5. The ex hms Courageous SSN has been saved and is open to the public at Devonport dockyard. A simple telephone call to the yards historic department grants access to anyone. Alas it is not well advertised. Ship preservation is something close to my heart and one area I have been involved with. It is not a simple task. Selecting the correct vessel is the key. One must have a vessel that the public can relate to, it must be in reasonable condition, it will be of such a design that modifications can be made to allow access and ease of evacuation. ( submarines are notoriously unsuitable) the vessel must be located at a suitable location to gain economic footfall and finally it must be run by a professional company that have vision and confidence to make it viable. HMS Belfast was saved by chance, the original plan was to take a turret from hms Gambia, however get condition was so poor it seemed unrealistic even to save a turret. When the iwm staff retired for lunch onboard the then HQ reserve fleet cruiser Belfast, they found her warm and I’m good condition, so much so with encouragement from the navy they acquired the whole ship. Nowadays anyone visiting Belfast will see the massive amount of structural changes for H&S, the amount of staff employed and huge footfall from being in central London, yet it remains a battle to keep her going. As a nation we missed the boat in not saving the WW2 Warspite,. Vanguard although the last battleship would not have had the public’s interest, nor the carrier victorious. More recently Illustrious failed to gain any significant support, even worse Plymouth and she had battle honours as recently as 82.

  6. Very interesting post Basil. I did NOT know about the Courageous. Why not the Conqueror? PC get in the way? Glad to hear it was preserved. Thank you.

    Cheers!

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