Emotional moment Royal Navy ship HMS Montrose returns to Plymouth for final time

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A naval ship returned to Plymouth to a rapturous reception on Friday, having spent almost four years tackling crime and terrorism in the Middle East.

Since leaving home in 2019, HMS Montrose has seized around £80million of illegal drugs and covered more than 140,000 nautical miles.

Family and friends gathered at Devonport Naval Base to welcome the crew back in time for Christmas - but it was a bittersweet moment as Montrose is set to be decommissioned early next year.

Commander Claire Thompson said: "Returning after four years away, in time for Christmas, and with 800 of our families and friends waiting for us on the jetty, means the ship’s been excited and alive with expectation all week.

The 200-strong crew of HMS Montrose changed 11 times in almost four years. Credit: Royal Navy

"The homecoming is a huge occasion and one that we have been looking forward to, over the past six months.

"Some of our younger sailors have never experienced the thrill of bringing a ship home and having their families on the jetty to meet them – it’s something I’m sure they will never forget.

"I’m enormously proud of what my team and the ship have achieved over those four years. It is fantastic to get them all home for the festive period, especially given we were away last year – we were actually conducting boarding operations on Christmas Day in 2021."

Although the ship herself has been away from the UK for more than four years, her sailors and Royal Marines have not.

Her crew changes every four months, with the rotations planned so that the personnel spend at least every other Christmas at home with loved ones.

Principal Warfare Officer Lieutenant Commander Shaun Dodd has completed three tours of duty aboard Montrose in the Gulf.

"Having worked on the ship’s homecoming, I knew it would be a poignant, memorable and happy occasion for all involved," he said.

HMS Montrose, and other Type 23 Frigates, will eventually be replaced by new Type 26s Credit: Royal Navy

Seaman Specialist Able Seaman Charlie Grant said: "The ship has done some rewarding work and I am proud to have been a part of that."

Lieutenant Commander Ellis Pearson added: "We’re also really grateful we are the crew who’ve brought HMS Montrose home to the UK after four years. The ship is 30 years old now and her final homecoming has been very emotional for us all."