Royal Navy: "Determined" HMS Iron Duke shadows second Russia task force in effort to protect UK waters
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
HMS Iron Duke has been heavily involved in shadowing Russian ships since last Sunday (November 10). This comes as RAF fighter jets based at RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland, were scrambled to monitor a Bear-F aircraft as it flew over the North Sea yesterday (November 14), the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed.
The Russian reconnaissance plane had been detected in the UK’s area of interest but at no time was it able to enter UK sovereign airspace. The Royal Navy confirmed that warships, helicopters and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels had to monitor two Russian task groups over the past week. One of these groups was led by the Russian Navy’s newest frigate.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad

Commander David Armstrong, Commanding Officer for HMS Iron Duke, said: “Having been heavily involved in this type of operation for the last six months, we’re glad to be back at it – protecting the integrity of our territorial waters and critical national infrastructure.
“When we are detached to head to our next task, my team will have notched up their eleventh escort, and I remain in awe of their selfless dedication. It’s never more moving than during this period of national reflection surrounding Remembrance Sunday – it was a poignant moment conducting our own service whilst on task, no better way to honour our fallen than to do our duty.”
Russian forces sailed in both directions through the English Channel, one bound for the Atlantic and the other towards the Baltic. HMS Iron Duke and tanker RFA Tideforce were activated to shadow the Admiral Gorshkov-class frigate Admiral Golovko, commissioned on Christmas Day last year. RFS Golovko passed through the North Sea and was accompanied by oceanographic research vessel Yantar and supporting tanker Vyazma.


The three vessels were tracked by the Norwegian Navy before British forces took over. The Duke class frigate and Tide-class tanker both followed the trio through the Dover Strait and Channel before handing over monitoring duties to the French Navy. Yantar continued to remain in the UK’s emergence of interest. Portsmouth-based minehunter HMS Cattistock watched the survey vessel’s every move.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdRFS Golovko and Vyazma continued their journey past France, with HMS Iron Duke then monitoring a second Russian group. The frigate Neustrashimy and her support ship, tanker Akademik Pashin, were heading towards their home port in the Baltic Sea. The Type 23 frigate remained in contact with the pair as they sailed through the English Channel and into the North Sea.
This was then handed over to the Dutch warship, HNMLS De Ruyter, to finish escorting them back into the Baltic. HMS Iron Duke made use of her own Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron, a Merlin aircraft from 814 Naval Air Squadron based at Culdrose and an RAF P8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. The Royal Navy said the week-long operation was part of a carefully choreographed effort by the UK and its allies to ensure the transiting Russian units were closely monitored.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.