.jpg?width=96&crop=1:1,smart)
Britain’s ships are deployed across the globe on various operations.
Many of them are based in Portsmouth, the home of the Royal Navy and epicentre for various missions and developments. Vessels as large as the Queen Elizabeth aircraft carriers - 932ft long and weighing 65,000 tonnes - are joined by some of the smallest in the force here.
Conventional warships are also being bolstered by autonomous vessels and drones, operated by skilled personnel equipped to handle the latest technology. The aim is to turn the fleet into a hybrid force, where un-crewed capabilities supplement conventional warships.
While some of Portsmouth’s ships are stuck at base for upgrades and maintenance, many of the vessels are out on deployments close to home and further afield. Here are all of the city’s capabilities, where they are and their current missions.
Be sure to click through all the pictures to make sure you don’t miss a key operation.
9. HMS Defender
HMS Defender is currently alongside HMNB Portsmouth undergoing Power Improvement Project enhancements. The upgrades will involve replacing her old engines and improving her propulsion. She has been in the base for an extended period of time. | LPhot Ben Corbett
10. HMS Diamond
HMS Diamond remains alongside HMNB Portsmouth and has been since 2024. After an extensive deployment in the Red Sea, where she battled against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, she has been alongside the base undergoing Power Improvement Project upgrades. | Royal Navy
11. HMS Kent
The Duke-class frigate remains in deep maintenance in Plymouth, after being put in an upgrade programme in the summer of 2024. She is undergoing a life-extension programme. | Royal Navy
12. HMS Medway
HMS Medway is forward deployed in the South Atlantic and Falkland Islands. She has conducted patrols into the port of Punta Arenas in Chile, traversing across the coast of Argentina near Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego. Having supported British sovereignty over the islands, the ship's company received threats from Buenos Aires. | Cpl Niran Lewis RAF/MoD Crown Copyright