The Royal Navy has carried out a planned rotation of its South Atlantic patrol vessels, with HMS Medway taking over duties around the Falkland Islands as HMS Forth begins her return to the UK, the UK Defence Journal understands.
HMS Forth has served as the Navy’s permanent presence in the region for nearly six years, operating from East Cove Military Port near Mount Pleasant. She is now handing responsibility to her sister ship HMS Medway, which arrives from the Caribbean to assume the long-term patrol role. Forth was the first of the Royal Navy’s second-generation offshore patrol vessels to deploy on an extended overseas mission. During her time in the South Atlantic, the ship conducted maritime security operations, supported fishery protection enforcement and worked alongside RAF and British Army units based on the islands.
According to the Royal Navy, HMS Forth covered approximately 155,000 nautical miles during the deployment, patrolling the waters surrounding the Falklands’ 778 islands and operating across the wider joint operations area, including visits to South Georgia. The ship also supported wider defence and government activity, including participation in Exercise Unitas off Brazil in 2022 and a humanitarian mission in 2021 to deliver Covid-19 vaccines to Tristan da Cunha, one of the world’s most remote inhabited islands, according to the service.
Personnel rotations formed a regular part of the deployment, with around one third of the ship’s company rotating every seven to eight weeks. In total, the Royal Navy said 42 crew changes took place during the mission. Brigadier Charlie Harmer, Commander of British Forces in the South Atlantic, thanked the ship’s company for their contribution during a handover event at East Cove and formally welcomed HMS Medway as the new patrol vessel.
Commander Grahame Graham-Flint, commanding officer of HMS Forth, said the deployment had left a lasting impression on the crew.
“Our thanks to all those that have supported our time here,” he said. “Throughout our time in the South Atlantic, HMS Forth has been deployed at range on operations, working with the Army, RAF and other government partners as part of the British Forces South Atlantic Islands.” He added: “Now handing over to HMS Medway, we begin our transit back to the UK in preparation for future tasking.”
HMS Medway assumes responsibility for the South Atlantic patrol mission after spending much of her operational service in the Caribbean, where she previously supported regional security and maritime operations, according to the Royal Navy.
Fantastic ships, well worth their costs, great assets to send around the World and Thank Fuck we have them really.
(oops, I sweared).
Heartily agree they have proved a huge success, despite initial doubts. Very disappointingly it seems almost certain that HMS Spey and Tamar will return to the UK from the Indo-Pacific later this year – leaving the RN with no surface warships “East of Suez” for the first time in several hundred years.
They will then get a much needed major refit (presumably by A&P) before replacing HMS Tyne and HMS Mersey as maritime protection Patrol Ships by April 2028. The future of HMS Severn is unclear as she does a lot of sea training for Dartmouth OUT’s – simulators only can take things so far. But I wouldn’t be surprised if a trawler or similar is leased instead, as has often been done in the past.
Thats nice… send a canoe to the south Atlantic, a potential hotspot, where anytime now the Argentinian fellow is bound to kick off with sovereignty claims, having been emboldened by his mate Trump.
It’s fine for them to be the Falklands patrol ship with their present systems because they will be under the air cover of the Falklands.. I don’t think it’s a good idea that they are wandering around the pacific well outside Uk EEZ without increased defensive capabilities… although as a base I think they should all have a 40mm bofors as it’s got a decent air burst round for engagement of drones out to 2-4 Kms which I think now needs to be the basic capability for all RN and RFA vessels… if we are using them in Indian Ocean and pacific patrols instead of patrol frigates they should really have a 57mm and some CAMM.
You really need to get over the Trump derangement thing…. You’ve created your own mess. It’s on you to fix it
Good morning Captain America, what’s It like over there at the moment ? Is It a nice friendly place to live, are you fealing the Worlds love, are you feeling happy and content with the direction your sane and decent leaders are taking your Country ?
Genuinely asking as pretty much everyone else is laughing at “Ya’ll” with a side of shocked dismay.
Are you a Trump Groupie, are you waving your little flag, are you proud of your leaders Egotistical lies/derangement thing ?
Are you really American ?
Can you speak Russian yet ? Or Chinese ?
Make sure to stick around on here, It’s always fun to see your views.
Belly laugh much needed ta! I feel sorry for the US having saddled itself with another geriatric dribbler whose dementia suits the lackies around him. After his Greenland idiocy? We can now watch his ICE stormtroopers killing unarmed civilians and arresting kids ffs.
Pity as I served with, and count many good folk from there as friends. We must remember most decent Americans despise the fascism that has emerged….
Do you wear kneepads ?
The point I was making was that Trump with his deranged idiotic mindset, would back Argentina’s claims, long before Mr sensible wrestled back control of whatever brain he has left.
Responding to the ‘tone’ of you comment, I assume you are American in which case, YOU opened the box and unleashed Mr deranged, NOT us!
One ship to protect the island when we iused to ĥave a squadron based down there
Gerald, what did that squadron consist of and when was that in place?
At least three destroyers were sent up from the Falklands at the start of WW2 to fight the German pocket battleship GrafSpey and compounded in the battle of the River Plate
Were they not Cruisers ?
Yes, my mistake you are right, they were all three cruisers
Tom, we have always had an OPV down in the Falklands, and periodically a frigate will visit as well. We don’t have a large navy to permanently station a frigate down there.
There should be a vessel permanently based down there. It’s not just the Falklands and surrounding islands that need monitoring, it’s also the oil and minerals that surround those islands. A canoe and 2 Typhoon jets wont hold off a determined aggressor.
As I’ve said before… we need a few Corvettes.
Good use of theese ships rather than sending a Frigate etc, may be up arm them a bit with some kind of limited air defence and anti missile defence as a last resort, but nice to see patrol vessels being used for this role. I would say build more better armed for self defence to ease the load on limlited other ships and give vessel a chance in contested seas.