As the nearest ship to the scene the Royal Navy hydrographic ship HMS Enterprise contributed to a major rescue of migrants in the Mediterranean, working under an Italian-led EU mission.
The vessel identified four small vessels and safely brought aboard 453 people, who were later transferred to the German frigate Schleswig Holstein and taken to the southern Italian port of Taranto.
Several other European ships were involved in Saturday’s rescue off the coast of Libya, where more than 20 vessels had issued distress calls and around 4,400 people were saved. It was the largest operation of the mission so far to take place in a single day.
Image: Royal Navy