The Royal Navy has explained why a warship docked in Liverpool over the weekend.
HMS Portland, a Type 23 frigate designed for anti-submarine warfare, was spotted in the city on Saturday. The ship, which is 133 metres long, is based at HMNB Devonport in Plymouth.
Announcing its arrival into Liverpool on Saturday (March 25), the ship's official Twitter account said: "Hello Liverpool wonderful to be alongside in such an amazing city this weekend! #FerryAcrossTheMersey".
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The Royal Navy revealed that the ship was in Liverpool to give the crew a chance to rest before returning to Devon, having completed an exercise alongside Allies in the Atlantic.
A Royal Navy spokesperson said: "HMS Portland is a Type 23 frigate, based at HMNB Devonport and has recently been on exercise in the North Atlantic. During this time she has worked alongside fellow warships from Poland, Germany and Norway.
"Returning to Devonport after the exercises, HMS Portland paid a visit to Liverpool for some much needed R&R in the city."
Two weeks ago, HMS Portland was deployed from Plymouth to escort a Russian task group in waters close to the UK. The ship tracked Russian Gorshkov-class guided missile frigate, Admiral Kasatonov, and support tanker, Akademik Pashin.
It shadowed the Russians through the English Channel on the morning of March 12 as they headed towards the North Sea. The Admiral Kasatonov of Russia’s Northern Fleet has been operating in the eastern Mediterranean since early 2022, amid Russia’s illegal invasion in Ukraine, while Akademik Pashin was in the region later in the year.
Portland with her specialist Merlin helicopter embarked – both equipped with cutting-edge sonars, sensors and torpedoes for specialist operations – are reporting on the movements of the Russian ships.
The ship’s Commanding Officer, Commander Ed Moss-Ward said: “The Royal Navy routinely responds to escort warships in our territorial waters and the adjacent sea areas to ensure compliance with maritime law and to deter malign activity.
“Escorting the Russian task group alongside allied partners demonstrates the commitment of the Royal Navy and the NATO alliance to maintaining maritime security which is crucial to our national interests.”
The Russians passed through the Strait of Gibraltar on March 8 and NATO warships escorted them throughout their journey.
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