Portsmouth's HMS Defender deployed to Middle East

HMS Defender with one of her seaboats in the water Credit: Royal Navy

The Portsmouth-based Type 45 destroyer, HMS Defender, has been deployed to the Middle East to assist with Royal Navy efforts to ensure safe passage for merchant shipping in the area.

Earlier this month the British Government confirmed that it had asked the Royal Navy to escort ships with British flags through the Strait of Hormuz, as part of the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC). The Strait is a waterway between Iran and Oman.

HMS Defender has been deployed to the area to make sure that the UK has the flexibility to commit a ship to the international mission on an ongoing basis. HMS Montrose, a Type 23 frigate, is currently in the Gulf and has carried out more than 30 crossings of the Strait of Hormuz.

HMS Defender and HMS Kent both sailed from Portsmouth on 12th August. Both ships will work with international partners as part of the newly-formed International Maritime Security Construct.