The Russian Black Sea Fleet say they have started monitoring the activities of the “Trent patrol vessel of the British Navy” which entered the Black Sea on May 16th, according to a statement.

According to the statement, found in local media, the Russians are keeping an eye on the British vessel.

“Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has started tracking the British Royal Navy’s HMS Trent patrol vessel, the Russian Defense Ministry’s National Defense Management Center reported on Sunday.

“The forces and means of the Black Sea Fleet have started tracking the activities of the Trent patrol vessel of the British Navy, which entered the Black Sea waters on May 16,” the statement said.

On May 11, the report said the Black Sea Fleet started keeping a close eye on the French Navy’s patrol ship Commandant Birot, which had entered the Black Sea.”

This is routine however, Russia often ‘keeps an eye on’ vessels in the region.

HMS Trent sailed in company with FS Commandant Birot yesterday in the Black Sea.

British and French vessels work together in Black Sea

The River class Offshore Patrol vessel is in the area to reassure NATO allies.

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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
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Jason Holmes
Jason Holmes
2 years ago

Interesting comparing Trent to FS Commandant Birot, how we approach patrol ship design and equipment.

Tony
Tony
2 years ago
Reply to  Jason Holmes

Ah, the old “no equipment” approach. Trent is quite a lot bigger too. It does seem somewhat ridiculous to have these huge platforms with bugger-all on them.

Herodotus
2 years ago
Reply to  Tony

It’s ‘stealth’ armament Tony….you just can’t see it…that’s all. 🙂

Geoffrey Roach
Geoffrey Roach
2 years ago
Reply to  Tony

Not that much different really. CB… 100 mm plus cannon/mg’s…Trent..1 x 30 mm plus mg’s/minicams plus of course the helo and/or drones.

Peter S
Peter S
2 years ago
Reply to  Jason Holmes

The d.’Estienne D’Orves class were originally designed as anti submarine Corvettes and later converted to OPVs by removal of the as kit and other weapons. This one is nearly 40 years old.
Still sports a 100mm gun.

JohnG
2 years ago

Didn’t realise the batch 2 ships were forward deployed. Last I heard was ruminations regarding this, so was pleasantly surprised to read today that the ships have been forward deployed to free up the type 23s. (Forth as replacement for Clyde off the Falklands, Medway on Atlantic patrol task north off the Carribbean, Trent based in Gibraltar for operations in the Med, Tamar off on planned deployment to Asia Pacific (left Pompy yesterday) and Spey I believe is currently under training)

Lusty
Lusty
2 years ago
Reply to  JohnG

Spey’s currently in Falmouth, preparing to dazzle us all…

Johng
Johng
2 years ago
Reply to  Lusty

👍

geoff
geoff
2 years ago
Reply to  Lusty

Morning Lusty. Having initially not liked the paint job, I am now warming to this new look. Makes them look a lot more businesslike!
Cheers

Lusty
Lusty
2 years ago
Reply to  geoff

Morning,

I must admit, I fanboyed from the moment I saw her! She looks fantastic, and I’m sure Spey will as well. Both Tamar and Spey are set to deploy to the Indo-Pacific region as part of the ‘forward deployed’ model.

Bob2
Bob2
2 years ago

Do each of the forward deployed river class 2 vessels have a 2nd crew or an additional watch crew to allow guys and girls to come home?

JohnG
2 years ago
Reply to  Bob2

I read somewhere that the plan was to fly the crews out to the ships , so guessing I’d say there was some sort of crew rotation going on…

Bob2
Bob2
2 years ago
Reply to  JohnG

I wonder if Spey will have its own crew or if it will be used predominantly to train crews up before they fly out to take over/join the 4 forward deployed vessels.

Gavin Gordon
Gavin Gordon
2 years ago

Recently, the Fleet Commander’s Warrant Officer mentioned “driving forward with……… ‘up-gunning’ the River Class Batch 2.” No further elaboration beyond that at the time, though. Noteworthy, just the same.

Watcherzero
Watcherzero
2 years ago
Reply to  Gavin Gordon

Knowing the Royal Navy…. what ships are being decommissioned and weapons can serve as hand me downs?

Gavin Gordon
Gavin Gordon
2 years ago
Reply to  Watcherzero

Could be anything from a couple of addl machine guns through to a 57mm (well, except the 57, naturally). Guess more likely to be a spare 30mm. But what’s important is the implicit commitment in the statement for now, I reckon. Could start a lottery. What’s the longest odds?
Rrgs

BB85
BB85
2 years ago
Reply to  Gavin Gordon

Yeah I don’t see them being up gunned. At most they will add LMM launcher to the side of the 30mm.

DJ
DJ
2 years ago
Reply to  BB85

That’s already been decided as not viable (not sure why but I think the price per LLM as against a 40mm may have something to do with it). I think RN have finally come to the realisation that 30mm won’t cut it on a 2,000t ship. Most likely a Bofors 40mm. 57mm is a possibility, but why bother? These ships should have always been 76mm as per Thailand (as should have the T31 – broken record I admit).

Watcherzero
Watcherzero
2 years ago
Reply to  Gavin Gordon

Well I suppose they might still have the dozen or so 20mm they took off the Archer class.

Dern
Dern
2 years ago

Phew, thank god they’re shadowing a ficitious navy then, never head of this “British Navy” has anyone else?
Are Cromwells Parliamentaries giving the Ruskies some worries?

geoff
geoff
2 years ago
Reply to  Dern

Talking of fictitious,I love it when the overseas press talk of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth. Does anyone else have a Queen Elizabeth?

Seán Mulligan
Seán Mulligan
2 years ago

What these ships are doing in the Black Sea is beyond me. The days of Empire and colonial ambitions are long gone and so should the Cold War mentality. Why can’t Britain and France mind their own business and stay at home instead of doing stupid provocative actions like this.

Airborne
Airborne
2 years ago
Reply to  Seán Mulligan

Oh dear here we go……maybe a yaaaawn needed in response.

George Parker
George Parker
2 years ago

I’d like to think Trent and other patrol vessels contain decent signals intelligence gathering equipment.