Two Type 45 destroyers have met up in the Eastern Mediterranean while deployed on operations.
UK Navy’s HMS Defender and HMS Diamond rendezvoused off the coast of Cyprus – where Diamond was leaving to escort the last consignment of chemical weapons from Syria for destruction and Defender stocked up supplies for her long-planned Gulf deployment.
HMS Defender left Portsmouth at the beginning of June for a six-month deployment East of Suez. Her inaugural deployment, HMS Defender will police busy shipping lanes, and take part in counter piracy operations in the Indian Ocean and Gulf region as part of the Royal Navy’s long-standing commitment to the area.
Upon her arrival off the coast of Cyprus her embarked Lynx Mark 8 helicopter, call sign Spartan, flew ashore several times to pick up vital stores, equipment and personnel.
[mappress] Press Release, July 02, 2014; Image: UK Navy