Royal Navy: HMS Medway completes maintenance in USA and continues Caribbean drug-bust deployment

HMS Medway, a Portsmouth-based offshore patrol vessel, set off from a base in the USA and is set to continue patrolling in the Atlantic. The River-class ship was based at the UCSG base in Tampa, Florida, for three months.

She is now set to patrol the region around the Caribbean, and be tasking with anti-narcotics operations and supporting British Overseas Territories. A social media statement said: “Goodbye Tampa, what a city, but we’ve reached the end of our stay.

“HMS Medway stands ready for the Caribbean. We are fully stocked and equipped for our mission ahead. See you soon. Medway is the 'Atlantic Patrol Tasking (North)' ship in the Caribbean.

“Our mission is to protect UK territories, tackle the drug trade, respond to natural disasters, and support our allies.”

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The warship carried out a vital mission with American and Dutch forces in March. USS Normandy, a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, was part of the mission alongside the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Thomas Hudner and Netherlands patrol vessel HNLMS Gronigen.

The aim of the exercise was to test their ability to work together in the Caribbean Sea and understand how each other operate on a regular basis. Nations including the UK, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and the United States signed an agreement in 2023 to join forces and maintain security in the US Southern Command’s Area of Responsibility. Each force frequently shares information with each other as part of the deal.

Captain Nathan Diaz, Commanding Officer of USS Normandy, previously said: “We always look forward to any opportunity to operate alongside partners and allies like the Royal Navy and the Royal Netherlands Navy. Exercises such as these provide a great opportunity for Normandy Sailors to improve their skills and work closely with their counterparts from partnered and allied naval forces."