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Preparing HMS Trent for deployment to the Med
5 August 2020
HMS Trent is making her way to the Mediterranean for her first operational overseas deployment having generated from newly constructed vessel to capable warship faster than any other in the Royal Navy’s recent memory.
This means she and her ship’s company have been through an intense period of operational training and preparations which culminated in her commissioning service and departure from home base of Portsmouth on Monday.
She will join operation Sea Guardian, led by NATO and charged with providing maritime security in the Mediterranean; a chance for her to show off the capabilities of the new River class offshore patrol vessels and to work with the UK’s allies and partners in the region on common interests.
Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander James Wallington-Smith, said: “The exceptional progress we’ve made over the last eight months has demonstrated what my ship’s company and the ship are capable of, and I couldn’t have hoped for a better start to her service career.
“While many of our colleagues across the Armed Forces have been actively assisting with the Government’s response to the Covid-19 epidemic through the last four months, we’ve been no less busy patrolling UK waters and making sure we’re able to take HMS Trent into any situation we might face.”
The week prior to departure was spent ensuring that HMS Trent loaded the food, stores and ammunition needed to see her through the first stage of her deployment as well as practicing for the commissioning service. There were also numerous meetings for the command team to attend, looking at aspects of the political and security situation in their area of operations and how they will make their presence count.
HMS Trent and her sisters have an improved design on the three Batch 1 OPV, which includes a flight deck, increased speed and endurance, and space for up to 50 embarked troops. This allows her to be deployed in a variety of her roles over the course of her deployment, such as maritime security, humanitarian relief or defence engagement to achieve any required mission.
She is the third of her class to deploy, following in the wake of HMS Forth and Medway which are currently deployed to the Falkland Islands and the Caribbean respectively.